My Elphie's wedding
by wicked gravity
Summary: Glinda and Elphaba were meant to meet each other at Shiz. But were they meant to be more than friends and stay together forever? With Elphaba's wedding approaching, Glinda the good ponders about this.
1. The proposal

A/N: I don't own wicked or any of its characters. I also don't own the story of _My best friend's wedding_ (although this story doesn't follow that plot a lot, but just in case).

A/N 2: Rating might get higher in future chapters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Glinda The Good was sitting at a secluded table in a café she used to visit once or twice every week. Next to her was her dear friend Crope, eating what looked like a delicious piece of chocolate cake while Glinda herself was having a piece of lemon pie with some green tea.

"So… how's work been going on lately, your Goodness?"

At that Glinda punched him playfully in the arm.

"Don't call me that, we are friends you know? And if you wanna give me a title, I'd prefer _Magnificent and Imperious Glinda_ or _Your Magnificence_ or something like that, but you have to tell me which one you chose before throwing it out there, okay?"

"Out there where?"

"Out there, to all our dear Ozians. I'm hoping for one of those titles to become popular very fast".

"Ok, fine. But on the mean time I guess I`ll just stick with Glinda or Galinda, haha. Mmm I must be one of the few people who still remember that name right?

"Yeah, I guess so. That name brings so many memories back to me, good and bad. But in the end, it'll always stay with me in some way because that's how everything began".

At that, Crope raised an eyebrow, watching a dreamy look appear on Glinda's eyes. He thought he had an idea of what was going on through her mind right now.

"Speaking of which" (she continued, with a sudden smile on her face), "work has been great. Actually I just finished reviewing a speech for my wonderful employer, and I'll be sending it later today".

"And that's what is making you so happy right now?" Crope asked noticing the sudden change in Glinda's mood, which had become perkier when she started talking about her job. That was strange because it was actually usual for her to get sad when her boss and… co-workers… were mentioned in any conversation. Especially a certain co-worker.

"I do feel better, but it's not because of that", Glinda continued with the same dreamy look on her face.

"So… what's going on?" Crope asked. Sure, he had noticed the blonde feeling much… happier since she had come back from her last trip to the Emerald Palace a couple of weeks ago. But he still didn't know what had happened in the trip that made the blonde's attitude change so much, after all before that trip she seemed sad and distant most of the time.

"Well, as I said my job with the Wizard has been going great. Actually I might go back to the palace more often. I know that at some point I was relieved that the Wizard accepted my request to work away from the Emerald City, but now…"

"Ok, but now…" Crope said, encouraging Glinda to continue.

"Ok, but now…Oh Crope, I`m so happy" (Glinda said with a huge smile and a squeal). "See, this is the deal Crope… remember Elphaba?

"Mmm, that name does sound familiar. I wonder why…" Crope said, scratching his chin while it looked like he was trying very hard to remember an important fact. At that, Glinda punched him in the arm again.

"Ouch Glinda, this time it hurt!"

"Well, you better watch yourself then, because this is very important to me at the moment. And I don't enjoy your sarcasm"

"Ok, I get it, but no more punching please. I'm very delicate even if it doesn't look like it".

"Yeah, right" Glinda said with a small smirk. "Anyway, going back to our conversation…"

"Sure dear. Mmm, I do remember an Elphaba. Was she the one that went to Shiz with us? or the one with the green skin? Oh! or the one that totally hates pink and wears an awful hat…" At that Glinda punched Crope again.

"Stop! I just said I was Delicate, remember? Anyway, I promise not to tease you anymore, go ahead"

"Ok, but no teasing" she said with a big smile, the kind of smile that Crope hadn't seen in a while on her "I mean it Crope, I'm serious, this is very important to me. Today I received a letter from her. And in it she, she proposed to me! I'm getting married soon Crope! Very very soon!"

At that Galinda stood up and grabbed Crope by the hand pulling him with her, and then both of them started jumping up and down squealing and grinning. At that moment Croppe didn't understand very much what was going on, but decided to play along and ask all what he needed to know without actually going back to his seat. After all, being honest, he had never tried jumping and giggling at the same time and it was actually fun, especially if you did it with the bubbly Glinda.

While jumping, Crope said "I can't believe you're getting married! I can't believe you started dating each other again in the first place! Why didn't you tell me?" He finished pouting (something he had learned from his blonde friend).

"I'm sorry, but we decided to keep it a secret. Either way, it hasn't been that long since we got back together. But I don't care, as long as we stay with each other forever…"

"Yeah, I'm happy for you. Although" Crope continued a little bit less enthusiastically "I don't like the fact that she proposed to you through a letter" and before Glinda could say anything he added taking her hand and looking at her ring finger "did she also send you and engagement ring in the letter? I know she wasn't the best at showing affection in public, but doing all that in such an impersonal way doesn`t sound like her".

"Well… as I said, I wouldn't care, as long as I could have my Elphie with me. But, going back to the ring…I don't know if she actually sent one".

"How come?" asked Crope.

"Well, because I haven't opened the letter, silly" Glinda answered giggling. "It looked too pretty, and it's a memento I want to keep intact"

At that Crope stopped jumping completely. "WHATT!" he yelled instead.

"What, what is it?" Glinda said, also stopping her jumping completely.

"Ok Glinda, listen to me" Crope spoke seriously taking her by the arms and looking deeply into her eyes. "Actually, better yet, I`ll ask you very simple questions and just answer to me please".

"Ok" Glinda said suddenly sounding very serious.

"Ok, did you open the letter?"

"No, didn't we just establish that?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure. So… was there a note attached to the outside of the envelope where Elphaba asked you to marry her?"

"Nop"

"Ok, so even if you didn't open the letter, you were able to see through the envelope and caught sight of elphaba's handwriting and the words marry me, or something like it, at some point…?"

"No Crope, and what's with all these silly questions?".

"Glinda, if you didn't open the letter and you have no clue of what it says, then how do you know Elphaba proposed to you?" Crope almost yelled.

"Well silly" Glinda said, clearly taken aback by her friend's sudden reaction and change of mood. "Why else would she be sending me letters so soon to…"

"So soon to what?"

At that Glinda took a deep breath before continuing. "Crope, there's something that happened between Elphaba and I that I never told you about…"

-flashback-

"There was something about her, I knew it the first moment we laid eyes on each other in our first day at Shiz. At first we both felt it was loathing, but then…."

"Wait wait wait wait"

-sudden end of flashback—

"What?" Glinda said clearly angry at being interrupted.

"Well…" Crope continued actually feeling ashamed for interrupting his friend. "Are you sure there's something new in this whole Elphaba/Glinda story that I haven't heard of?"

"Yes"

"Ok, I'll trust you on that. But do you really have to start at the very beginning? Can't you just tell me that new little fact?" And at Glinda's furious look he added "I mean that incredibly important but yet seemingly small fact?"

"You know I can't" Glinda answered now pouting. "You know how I love to remember our time at Shiz and all the good things that happened there. Although talking about them also makes me regret many of the decisions I made." she added with a distant look Crope saw very often when the talked about their green friend. "Anyway, you know I have to tell you the whole thing to get you involved in the story and to make you remember the kind of love she and I shared…share… shared, share and will share".

"Ok, fine, lets do it your way. But now I`m dying to know what's in the letter Elphaba sent. So, please go pick it up, bring it here, we'll read it and…"

"And then we'll take a trip to the Emerald City" Glinda interrupted, "because I'm more than eager to go see my fiancé".

"Yeah, right. _Fiance_… Please let's just read the letter first and after that we can take that trip to the Emerald City. And you call tell me all about the new fact in the Glinda/Elphaba story I don't know about".

"Ok" Glinda said, grinning and jumping once again, although this time she also added some clapping. "Ok, let's do that. So, meet me at my place in like an hour".

"Great, see you there".

"Yeah, bye" Glinda answered, giving Crope a quick hug and taking the last byte of her cake on her way out of the café. Now it was time to open Elphie's letter and prove Crope once and for all that she was right after all (as it usually happened).

When Glinda got to her apartment (which was like 2 blocks away from the little café she had just left), she went straight to one of the drawers she had in her vanity.

If anyone saw that particular drawer they wouldn't be able to tell if there was any difference between it and the other drawers the vanity had. But if you looked close enough you could have noted some differences because this drawer was very special to Glinda.

One of the signs of that was the fact that it was the only drawer that was locked all the time and only opened with a key hidden under Glinda's pillow. Also, once looking inside instead of finding all kinds of jewelry, you could only find random things, which to anyone might simply look like garbage. But not to Glinda, to her these little things were a treasure and nothing less. That's why she had hidden there a picture of herself and her old roommate, one of her history tests (which Elphaba had helped her study for), an essay about animal rights that she had written to impress her rommie (she still could remember the pride she saw in Elphaba's eyes when she had read it to her), a necklace with a beautiful stone (that looked like a combination made from an emerald and a pink diamond), a few straws (which could have easily come from a broom), a recent newspaper article that talked about the good deeds the Grand Vizier did around Oz (and showed a picture where that vizier looked utterly beautiful), and some other things. On top of everything laid a white envelope with the Wizard's seal and Glinda's name written on it with gold ink.

Glinda picked the letter up and held it close to her heart for a moment. Then, after giving it a light kiss, she decided it was time to open it, so she did just that.


	2. Elphie's letter

Disclaimer: I don't own wicked or any of its characters. I also don't own the story of _My best friend's wedding_ (although this story doesn't follow that plot a lot, but just in case).

A/N: Hi everyone. Here goes a very small chapter (sorry about that). But I'll be posting the next chapter later today to make it up to you. Tell me what you think of this story so far… should I continue with it? Thanks for the review lifelover88!

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_Glinda picked up the letter and held it close to her heart for a moment. Then, after giving it a light kiss, she decided it was time to open it, so she did just that._

"_Dear Glinda, my sweet,_

_How are you? It's been so long seen we´ve seen each other… almost a couple of months, right? I hear father saying all the time how great you are at your work and how you have become such an influential, diplomatic and important person to all of Oz, to all of us. Of course then I remind him that you were always all of that to me. That's why we are best friends above all."_

"Wait…" Glinda whispered to herself, after reading those last words. "_Best friends above all._ What was that supposed to mean? Certainly that's not what she and Elphie had talked about the last time they had seen each other. Which, by the way, hadn't been a couple of months ago… it had barely been close to two weeks ago. What was Elphie talking about? At that Glinda decided to stop panicking for a moment and continue reading. Yeah, clearly there was an explanation to everything in the next few lines, there had to be.

So she took a deep breath and tried calming herself "It's okay Glinda, just keep reading and everything will make sense, everything".

"_He cares for you, my father that is. You know that, don't you? And you know I do too, you know I love you my sweet. That's why I need to ask you something very important. _

_You … you have been the one constant in my life, the one special someone I can always go back to and who'll always be with me (for as long as you let me, of course). So, I wanted to know if you could come to the Emerald City soon because… I`m getting married! And I want you to be my bridesmaid. Please, I need you here with me while I go through all of this. I know that what I'm telling you right now is totally unexpected, especially considering that Val and I had broken up a while ago (yeah, you guessed right, I`m marrying our old friend). But trust me when I say that even if this is sudden, it feels completely right. _

_Again, please say yes and come to me. I need to live this with my best friend by my side._

_Lots of love,_

_Elphaba"_

By the time Glinda had finished reading, she was barely breathing. She had actually stopped breathing altogether after reading that dreadful line…"I'm getting married", and to top it all… "And I want you to be my bridesmaid".

_Val_, that name suddenly couldn't leave her mind. So, after hearing it over and over for what seemed like an eternity, she dropped Elphaba's letter and started to feel tears running down her face. Tears that couldn't burn her skin, but it felt like they were burning her soul. How could this be happening? She needed to wake up from this nightmare! She just needed to! Because right now it felt like everything inside her was breaking apart and falling to pieces. And that's when memories started coming back to her, all related to the relationship she had built over the years with her best friend, the love of her life. Everything started coming back, every important event, every smile and every kiss, every decision she had made along with every mistake…


	3. Beginnings

Disclaimer: same as chapter 1 and 2

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews_! _

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

_And that's when memories started coming back to her, all related to the relationship she had built over the years with her best friend, the love of her life. Everything started coming back, every important event, every smile and every kiss, every decision she had made along with every mistake…_

It was going to be her first day at Shiz, the first day of the rest of her life… ok, maybe not so much because so much more was going to happen after that, she was going to get married, be awfully rich and one of the most important people in all of Oz, and so much more. But the beginning of all of that would be THIS. Here she would make connections, find someone suitable and (she wasn't a complete airhead after all) she would also get the education she needed to preserve all the prestige and wealth she was going to accomplish. So, with that in mind, Galinda opened the door of her carriage (which had stopped at the entrance of Shiz University a few moments ago), and got down from it showing a big smile to anyone passing by.

It seemed that most people had heard about her, her looks and her family, because at once (maybe after seeing the Upland family symbol printed on one of the carriage's sides) a large group of people started approaching Galinda returning the smile she had offered. "Yeah" she thought to herself "this is gonna be a piece of cake, I've barely been here for a few seconds and I'm already the center of attention and everyone seems to love me".

Unfortunately that didn`t last long enough for her because while she was talking to some of the students around her a discussion seemed to be happening in the other side of the courtyard. And that was starting to take some of the attention the blonde held on the people around her.

At some point Galinda had to stop talking altogether, after realizing that some of the people surrounding her had stopped listening completely.

"For Oz's sake. What is going on?" she asked showing some irritation (but not all the irritation she felt at the moment because that would have been unladylike). And she started approaching the discussion going on, stopping abruptly when her eyes couldn`t believe what they were seeing.

First of all, she was looking at a green girl, that couldn't be possible, right? She was tall and had long black beautiful hair, but was wearing an awful frock. She was also holding a wheelchair with another girl sitting on it and seemed to be having some kind of discussion with the headmistress, who Galinda knew all about because she had applied recently to her magic seminar. And then something surprising happened, after Madame Morrible took forcefully the wheelchair from the green girl and started walking away with it, this girl screamed and the chair came to her by itself! That was… amazing, how could someone so young have that kind of power? Galinda started thinking.

"Who is that?" she whispered.

"I have no idea" said a munching boy behind her, which made her jump. It seemed that he had followed her all the way here after she left her new group of followers.

She turned to look at him and started to say something but then behind her she heard the mistress say something about the magic seminar, but it was too late, she had missed it. So she turned to the munching again and asked "did she just say something about the magic seminar?"

"I think so, I think she's talking about it with her" he said pointing at the strange green girl.

When Galinda turned around again she saw what seemed like a very confused student (maybe she doesn`t know what seminar Madame Morrible is talking about, galinda thought). And she heard the headmistress saying something about "never apologizing for talent" while she was patting the girl's back. Wait a moment… was Madame asking her to be in the seminar?

At that moment the munching boy moved to stand next to her and confirmed her fears "I think she just asked that girl to join the seminar you asked about"

"But, she only takes on student every semester, and I applied weeks ago, she can't just pick someone randomly, right?" she replied quite angry.

Looking at her the munching immediately took her side "You are right, you should do something, say something".

At that Galinda noded, raised her hand and started calling the headmistress name while approaching her.

"Oh, what a wonderful surprise! Thank you dear. You are… Miss Upland, am I correct? I now remember your parents asked for a single bedroom for you…" said Madame Morrible looking at Galinda and then checking the student list she was holding.

"Yes" replied the blonde, clearly lost at what was happening right now. Had she missed something? "But what…?"

"I said thank you. Not everyone who is granted a private room would offer to give that up to let a fellow student have a place where to live." And with that she grabbed the green girl's hand (Galinda hadn't noticed she had been standing a few feet away from the headmistress all this time), and brought her closer to the blonde. Then Galinda was finally able to see her face, she had angular but pretty features and deep brown eyes that met her blue ones in a deep look that drew Galinda in instantly.

"Miss Upland, meet your new roommate, miss elphaba Thropp. I'm sure you'll be the best of friends."

And so it had begun the most awkward and, at the same time, most amazing friendship Galinda had ever experienced. Although, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows from the start….

After being assigned a roommate by Madame Morrible, Galinda had started to protest but before she could utter a word the Head was walking away from her giving instructions to the rest of the students about their room placement. So, lost about what to do at that moment Galinda decided to just head to her room, there she would think clearly about what to do next. It wasn´t that she didn´t like this girl that was still standing a few feet away from her, because in reality she found her quite intriguing. It was the fact that she had noticed how the rest of the school population had reacted to the green girl. Galinda knew for sure that if she were to share a room with her, the position she could have at this school would be affected and she wasn't going to be able to accomplish the prestigious connections she had been hoping for.

So, deciding to just clear her head, she went back to where she had left her suitcases, grabbed one and with a fake but charming smile asked two of the boys that where around if they could help her taking the rest of her luggage to her room. They were more than happy to help her.

On the way to the building, she passed the green girl without saying anything but hoping she understood that Galinda was leading the way to her (no, wait… their, the blonde corrected herself with a small frown) their room. Thankfully she seemed to get the message and started following.

While walking to their room, Galinda started thinking about how to discuss her living arrangements with the Head Mistress. Should she write to her parents asking for help?

When she and (Elphaba, was it? Yeah). When she and Elphaba had finally reached their room, the blonde thanked the boys that had been eager to help her with her luggage and opened the door to see there were already two single beds inside. So she just instantly picked one (the one closer to the window) and started unpacking. Luckily they were also two closets. Ok, maybe a proper closet and a smaller version of it at the other side of the room, much smaller, but Elphaba didn't seem to mind as she opened that one and put her suitcase inside. At that moment she turned to look at the blonde who had started unpacking.

"Look, I just wanted to say thank you" Elphaba suddenly said.

Galinda almost jumped, she had gotten used to the silence that had reigned the room for the past minutes and had been lost in her own thoughts. She then turned around to look at Elphaba and thought to herself _What for?_ still not saying anything. At that Elphaba continued, now looking everywhere except the blonde's eyes.

"You know, for not making a scene right there, when Morrible told you about me living here… with you"

Galinda was about to respond, but Elphaba continued now looking directly at her "I know this mustn't be ideal for you, but don't worry I'll talk to the Head tomorrow to see if there's any way I can change rooms. I still think that my sister needs my assistance".

At that Galinda realized something, this girl didn't want to live with her, that was good, right? But why wouldn't anyone want to do that! She was Galinda Upland for Oz's sake. But hold on, she was losing track here. This was perfect; she didn't want to live with someone below her status, someone who could be an obstacle to her.

"Yes, I agree. Switching rooms would be for the best" she said seriously, almost in a cold way.

Elphaba only nodded, clearly she had been expecting an answer just like that. And then she went to lie on her bed and started reading a book she had taken out of her bag.

Galinda just turned around and continued unpacking. Wondering now about this green person sitting across from her in plain clothes, reading a book and holding it like it was something precious. She really had been paired up with the strangest student in Shiz, or Oz for that matter.

After a week, things hadn't gone as planned. And Galinda had gone from feeling surprised (at having been given a roommate in the blink of an eye), to feeling pretty much calmed (at hearing that Elphaba was going to talk to the Madame Morrible about changing rooms) to feeling very angry and frustrated about the whole thing. Yes, angry and frustrated. The day after they arrived at Shiz, Elphaba informed Galinda that she had talked to the Head Mistress but Madame Morrible wasn't willing to let Elphaba live with her sister. At that Elphaba had decided to accept her fate to live with the blonde. Galinda understood that maybe she had done that not to risk her stay at Shiz by angering the Head Mistress, but why did she have to pay too? Anyway, it seemed that there was no way out of this; considering that even when she had talked to Madame Morrible about the same matter, she had only ended up receiving a lecture about respecting authority and school rules, the nerve!

That had been frustrating, just like living with Elphaba was.

Even though they had had a peaceful first couple of days (maybe because they both thought that soon enough they wouldn't be seeing each other). Now that Galinda was doomed to live with the green girl she realized that she couldn't stand her. It was weird how Elphaba never left the room, or went to parties, or went out with friends… did she even have any friends at all? And everything she did was read. Oh, and talk to that Goat, the one that couldn't even pronounce names properly!

Thankfully Galinda's status in Shiz hadn't been affected that much because of her roommate. She was one of the most popular girls at school, if not the most, and her friends actually were sorry because of the green freak Galinda had to live with.

Yeah, green freak… that's how the students called elphaba, or green been, artichocke, vegetable, etc. for that matter. That girl wasn't liked at all among her school mates. And Galinda didn't defend her or anything, why should her, right? They weren't friends or anything, she had just been misfortunate enough to end up rooming together. Elphaba should actually be grateful, some other student would have kicked her out for sure, but not Galinda, she was too good (as her friends used to remind her).

But then again, the fact that Galinda didn't really insult the green girl, didn't mean that she liked her either. That's why when Pfannee and Shenshen came up with a plan to break Elphaba down and get her to leave Shiz, she decided she was in.


	4. Best friends

Disclaimer: same as the previous chapters.

A/N: Thanks so much lifelover88, srhittson, GoodWitchesOfOz, Nutnut, James Birdsong and srhittson for the reviews :)

Sorry I didn't update as planned; I actually wanted to post something yesterday, but I was very tired and wasn't writing very well. So I decided not to post yet, you guys deserve better.

Anyway, please go back to chapter 3, I added a few paragraphs (everything else is the same, I just added something at the end).

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Now, sitting at the large bed in her apartment at Frottica, Galinda felt a tear go down her cheek at the memory of what she had put Elphaba through by listening to her "friends". But then she felt a small smile on her lips because she knew that even though that had started as an awful joke, it had ended up on her and Elphaba finally getting to know each other.

Elphaba and Galinda entered their room running and laughing. After closing the door behind them, Galinda turned around and started laughing again after looking at Elphaba because she was still wearing that horrible hat. At that Elphaba started laughing again soon, clearly at the way the blonde was acting. At that moment Galinda's laugh started dying while she felt entranced by her roomate. It was the first time she hearing her laugh and she found the sound melodious, she also noticed her roommate's eyes where sparkling while her hair fell to the sides in an almost graceful way. It seemed that Elphaba had noticed her staring because her laugh also started dying away, even though she kept a smile on her face.

It's amazing how much one night can change someone's life so much, Galinda though to herself. For example, this night had started with a cruel joke, that ended up with her being part of the Head Mistress' magic seminar. Then the ozdust happened and she risked her popularity by standing next to Elphaba in the middle of the dance floor to join her in her strange dance movements. After that it had been dacing around all night with Fiyero and Elphaba, and now this… having a friend in Elphaba.

"Lets share a secret" she suddenly said, breaking the silence that had reigned to room for a few minutes.

"Ok" answered Elphaba, clearly still amused with the blonde.

"I`ll go first" Galinda said proudly, sitting on her bead and pulling Elphaba with her. "I'm going to marry Fiyero"

"He asked you already? Wow, that was fast"

"No silly, he doesn't know yet. But we'll end up together, we deserve each other. Now your turn"

"I… don't have any secrets, nothing interesting for that matter"

"Elphieee" Galinda whined

"Mmm, ok. I… I don't hate pink as much as it would seem, I just can't stand it" she said with a smirk.

"Elphieee, we will go back to your bad taste and how to change it soon enough. But you have to share a real secret, we are friends now"

"Ok" Elphaba said swallowing hard "I… I mean my father..." Galinda waited for Elphaba to continue, which she did after taking a deep breath. "My father hates me because I'm the reason my mother died and my sister is in a wheelchair. After I was born green, a doctor gave my father milk flowers and roots that she needed to drink every night to avoid having someone with my… my condition. The things that my mother drank ended up causing her to have medical complications the day my sister was born which ended up in her dying that day and Nesarrose being born without the capacity to move her legs. Therefore, all of it was really my fault."

While she was hearing this, Galinda felt terribly sad, but held her tears at bay not wanting to make her friend feel uncomfortable. She was grateful and felt privileged at having Elphaba open up to her this way and she didn't wanna ruin it. But she also felt like killing Elphaba's dad for how he had made her feel over the years. Still not letting the tears fall down, she hugged the green girl tightly, with more strength than she had ever hugged anyone before.

"Oh Elphie. It wasn't your fault, none of it was. Your father just couldn't see that you were actually a blessing" Galinda stopped right there not knowing if she could contain her tears if she decided to keep talking. She just kept hugging Elphaba, wanting to protect her from everyone and everything around them. Her friend had been through so much and yet, she admitted now, she was loving, kind, passionate and strong.

"It's okay Galinda" Elphaba said hugging the blonde back although with not so much force. "Wait, did you just call me Elphie" she asked in a tone that suggested she wanted to change the subject.

"Yes, don't you like it?" Galinda asked, deciding to let the conversation she had just had with her friend go for now, and pulling away from the embrance far enough to look at Elphaba straight in the eye"

"It's kind of perky, but I think I`ll get used to it" Elphaba said with a small smile and Galinda felt her heart melt at the sight.

That night the blonde had gone to bed with a big smile on her face and slept peacefully knowing something very special had been formed.

The next days passed quietly for both girls and it seemed that their friendship grew deeper by every second.

Elphie surprised Galinda constantly, not only with certain facts about her that the blonde hadn't noticed before, but also with the kind of friend she turned out to be. Galinda was now sure she hadn't had a real friend before, not until now.

And that's how they started becoming almost inseparable. They started eating their meals, walking to class, spending their afternoons, etc. together. Even though Fiyero, being Galinda's boyfriend, used to join them in several of those activities. And with Galinda's and Fiyero's acceptance it seemed that the rest of Shiz' population didn't see Elphaba as someone so repulsive anymore.

One day, a couple of weeks after the ozdust, Elphaba and Galinda were sitting under an apple tree in the middle of the main courtyard.

"Galinda, don't you miss your other friends or spending time alone with Fiyero?" Elphaba suddenly asked.

The blonde had been reading a sorcery book that had captured her attention completely, so she had missed what Elphaba had been asking.

"Sorry Elphie, what?" she said with a big smile.

Clearing her throat, Elphaba repeated "I was just wondering if you didn't miss your other friends or spending time alone with Fiyero…"

At that Galinda's smile transformed into a frown. "Are you saying you don't want to spend time with me anymore?" she said sounding hurt.

"No, no, no. Not at all. All I'm saying is that… That I don't want you to feel obligated to spend so much time with me. I know that you had a life before our friendship and that, even though you still go to parties and everything, you haven't been sharing enough time with other important people to you."

"But Elphie, I don't feel obligated or anything, I love spending time with you! You are my best friend! Unless, unless you'd want me to back away for awhile or something…"

"No Galinda, you should never think something like that" Elphie said giving the blonde a quick hug that was returned with enthusiasm.

"It's just that I don't want to interfere in your other friendships or in your relationship with Fiyero. As I said, I'm sure every couple needs time alone in a relationship" Elphaba said blushing a little.

"Elphie, are you blushing?" That is so cute! Galinda though to herself and decided to tease her friend a little bit. "Hmmm, it makes me wonder what you are implying Miss Elphaba" she continued hiding the amusement in her voice.

At that Elphaba blushed even more. "I… I, I was only… I assumed it would be that way. After all, you would always want to spend as much time as possible with the person you love, right?"

At that the blonde realized Elphaba was right, you would certainly spend as much time as you could with the one person you loved… was that was she was doing with her friend? had she really started to feel so much for Elphaba?

"Yeah, I guess you are right Elphie" She answered, deciding to continue with the conversation they were having at the moment to ponder about her new friendship later. "But dating someone doesn't mean that you love them".

"But, don't you… don't you love Fiyero?" Elphaba asked with some uncertainty showing in her eyes. "I thought you said you two were getting married?" she added with a smirk.

At that the blonde smacked her shoulder playfully "Don't make fun of me Elphie. And yes, I said we were going to get married and maybe we will someday…" she decided not to dwell too much on the fact that she couldn't picture the day of her wedding to Fiyero that clearly anymore "But for now, we need to spend time together and some time apart from each other. Give each other some space you know"

"You didn't seem too happy about having any kind of space between you two at the beginning" Elphaba said with another smirk; this time it was Galinda who blushed remembering how they'd be holding hands all the time and kissing whenever they got the chance to.

"I know, but that was the beginning of the relationship… it was different. You'll understand soon enough, when you start dating someone"

At that both girls suddenly went quite. Elphaba because she seemed lost in thought. Galinda because she felt embarrassed (after all, she had instantly assumed that her friend had never been in a relationship before), and because she also felt… she felt some uneasiness at the thought of Elphaba having a boyfriend, or Elphaba kissing someone for that matter (at that she closed her eyes fast trying to erase that image from her mind). But why would she mind, right? If that happened she should be glad. Maybe, maybe she just wasn't ready to share her newly found best friend with someone, not yet.

"I don't think that's bound to happen" Elphaba said, pulling the blonde away from her thoughts.

At the questioning look coming from Galinda, she continued. "I mean, look at me Galinda" she said raisin a hand "I'm green, that's a major… deal breaker, don't you think?"

"No, I don't" Galinda said with total sincerity.

"I hope you are right, my sweet" Elphaba said.

By the tone she used at saying that, Galinda realized that her friend was just agreeing in some way because she didn't want to keep this conversation going. But wait, had she just called her…

"I like that" Galinda said with a smile

"What? The fact that I'm showing some kind of hope?"

"My sweet... I liked it. You should call me that more often" She added to clarify, turning her gaze to the ground and then lifting it again to catch the other girls' eyes.

"Your wish is my command" Elphaba answered "From now on, you'd be known as My Sweet" she said with a small bow and a smile.

Galinda could only giggle softly and feel her heart racing at the sound of the endearment term coming from her friend's lips.


	5. Changes

Disclaimer: same as the previous chapters.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I think I know where to go with this story, and I don't intend on not finishing it at all. But I really appreciate those reviews because they keep me going and help me do a better job.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

About a month later, Galinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, Boq, Crope and Tibbett where having a picking by the lake. Elphaba had become close to those boys while preparing an investigation for Dr. Dillamond and after meeting them, Galinda realized that they were quite amusing. Even Boq, who seemed to have realized that Galinda and him could never be an item, had turned out being fun to have around. So, a new friendship had been formed with the three boys, while Galinda's friendship with Elphaba remained strong. The only relationship that seemed to be weakening was the one she had with Fiyero, and the news he gave her that day didn't help at all.

"Hey Galinda" Fiyero said while they were sitting on a blanket, preparing sandwiches for their meal.

"Yes darling?" Galinda answered instantly.

"Can we talk for a moment, privately?" Fiyero asked, standing up and offering his hand to the blonde to help her stand as well.

"Sure" Galinda said accepting his hand, and then turning around to call for Elphaba who was standing a few feet away talking to Boq. "Elphie, can you finish preparing the sandwiches please? Fiyero and I are going to take a short walk"

"Ok, go ahead" Elphaba answered, starting towards the blanket, with Boq walking by her side.

After walking a few feet, Galinda leaned on a tree and looked up at Fiyero who had stopped along with her.

"What is it darling?" she asked with some concern.

"I have to go home for a while" Fiyero started "my father sent me a letter yesterday concerning an important meeting he was having with some tribes regarding new policies the wizard and his government are establishing. And he requested my presence, considering I'll be the tribe's leader someday"

"I know your future implies a great deal of responsibility" Galinda said, but realizing the amount of pressure the prince's father was surely putting on him and noticing the somber expression on Fiyeros' face, she decided to add playfully "and caring about new policies because of those future responsibilities as a leader… don't get me wrong, but I think you've been spending too much time with Elphie"

At that Fiyero laughed looking towards the spot where Elphie and Boq where sitting preparing their meal. "Maybe I have, maybe not" he said with a strange tone that didn't go unnoticed by Galinda.

"Anyway" he said turning back to the blonde "It'll only be a week or so, so I won't be away for too long, but I didn't want to tell you in front of everyone because… well, first of all because as my girlfriend you should be the first one to know. And second of all because I want to know where we stand as a couple before I leave" he finished slowly.

"What do you mean?" Galinda asked suddenly lost.

"Well, you must have noticed how we've been getting apart these past weeks. And I just want to know how you feel about us"

"I, I feel the same way I did in the beginning" Galinda lied, knowing it hadn't been the same for a while, but not ready to say it aloud. "Don't you?"

"I do too" Fiyero said, although you could hear the same uncertainty that Galinda's answer had carried. "I just wanted to check" he added with a small smile and leaned in to kiss Galinda, who kissed him back.

"Fiyero, maybe we have been getting apart, but we belong together, don't we?" Galinda asked after they had broken apart.

"Yes we do darling, we do."

* * *

><p>A couple of days later, Galinda and Elphaba were standing with Fiyero at one of the platforms at Shiz's train station, making plans for the welcome back reunion they were going to have in a week.<p>

After the last announcement to board the train was made, Fiyero hugged both girls.

"Please give my regards to the Wizard if you see him, or the counselors and the Vizier for that matter" Elphaba said smiling. By now both Fiyero and Galinda knew about her dream of working for the Wizard some day.

"You bet I will" Fiyero answered smiling too. "I'm even taking a picture of you with me, to show you around Oz's most important authorities" he added, blushing and taking a picture of his wallet that showed him, Elphaba and Galinda smiling brigthly. "I'll just say something like _you really have to hire her because she's incredibly smart and powerful; by the way, she's the green one_"

"Ha, ha, very funny. But the compliments and gesture are deeply appreciated " Elphaba said with a big smile and then Fiyero leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Meanwhile Galinda was watching this conversation with a deep frown. What was Fiyero doing with a photo that had Elphie in it. She knew that she was in the picture too, but still! How dare him! She was her best friend after all, not his. If anyone should be carrying Elphie's photo it should be her. And then he kissed Elphaba! Ok, maybe on the cheek, but still. While thinking this she hadn't noticed she had tuned what was going around her off, until she realized Elphaba had said something about a newspaper and had started walking away. At that, she shook her head clearing her head and decided she was just having an emotional reaction to Fiyero's departure; that's where all this crazy thoughts were coming from.

"I'll miss you" Fiyero said now looking at the blonde.

"I'll miss you too. Hurry back?"

"I'll be here before you even notice I was gone"

He then kissed her slowly. After they parted he cupped her cheek and turned around heading towards the train. Then before stepping inside, he waved back to Galinda with a peaceful smile.

The moment the blonde saw the train leaving the station she realized she wasn't terribly sad at Fiyero's departure. And she started remembering the conversation she and her boyfriend had had a couple of days ago. Did they really belong together? Whit that thought in mind, she started walking towards the store where she assumed Elphaba had gone to, feeling safe at the fact that she had someone to go to, someone who'd be by her side always.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you wanna do tonight my Sweet?" Elphaba asked, clearly trying to cheer her up. Galinda had been found lost in thought by her friend several times for almost three days now. And she was guessing that Elphaba assumed it was because she was just feeling sad at not having Fiyero around. Even though in reality Galinda was actually confused and uncertain about the future that relationship might or might not have.<p>

"I know you must miss Fiyero and Friday night is always your date night with him so… what about a date night with your best friend instead?" the green girl had suddenly asked.

At that, Elphaba had Galinda's full attention. "That sounds amazing Elphie!" she answered beaming. What had she done to deserve a friend like Elphaba in her life? She had been very attentive this past days and now this?

"But are you sure? I know you don't like to go out that much, especially on Friday nights"

"That's where you are wrong Galinda. Maybe going out is not my favorite thing to do, but sharing time with you and seeing you smile is. So we'll find a way to do both"

At that Galinda couldn't help but hug her friend tightly, pulling her as close as possible, mesmerized about how every time she did this she got lost in her friend's smell and the beating of her heart.

"Thanks Elphie, I love spending time with you too, we should actually do it more often" Although, the blonde considered, they still did almost everything together. And, she realized, they actually didn't spend that much time apart, at least not more than what was necessary.

"Haha, even _more_… I'm afraid that could actually be impossible" Elphaba said laughing "For that to happen I guess we should have to be literally joined by the hip".

At that Galinda couldn't help but blush at the sudden inappropriate picture that had come to her mind.

"Anyway, there's no need to say thanks my sweet. I´ll just have to leave now to make some arrangements and I'll be back in a couple of hours" she said pulling away softly.

"Ok Elphie, meanwhile I'll get ready"

"Great. Tonight I'll make sure you have one of the best nights of your life Miss Upland"

"No, we'll make sure we both have one of the best nights of our life Miss Thropp" Galinda answered laughing.


	6. First Date

Disclaimer: same as the previous chapters.

A/N: Rating changed for later chapters.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Glinda jumped a little when she heard a loud knock on the door.

"Glinda, open up! Your balcony's window is still open, so I know you are in there"

Glinda stayed where she was, deciding whether to open the door to Crope or not. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone right now, but it could actually be good for her.

Crope decided to start knocking again when suddenly he heard a light click and the door opened in front of him with no Glinda insight.

"Glinda?" He said entering the apartment and closing the door behind him. "Are you here?"

"Yes, in the bedroom" came the blonde's voice.

Croppe walked towards it while talking at the same time. "You know it's not safe to just open the door to anyone just because you can do it without actually standing. I could have been anyone, you could put yourself in danger" by then he had reached the blonde's room and stopped in his tracks when he saw her sitting on the ground with her knees folded to her chest and her face full of tears.

"I could hear you, I recognized your voice. Besides, right now I couldn't care less if someone actually came in to hurt me."

"What, what happened?"

"You were right, about the letter"

Crope had sensed something like that had happened. I mean, just earlier that day Glinda had been all laughs and now she seemed to be in deep pain.

"Hey, it's ok. You know Elphaba, if she didn't say that much in the letter about your relationship, maybe it was only because she wants to do it face to face"

"It's not that, and she was very clear in her letter" Galinda answered with a mix of anger and hurt in her voice. "She was very clear when she invited me to a wedding in the emerald city"

"You mean… as in a date?" Croppe guessed, but he knew that was very unlikely given the way the blonde was behaving right now.

Glinda gave a soft bitter laugh. "Not exactly. She… it's…it's her wedding Crope"

Crope eyes suddenly went wide at the realization of what the blonde was saying. What?

"My Elphie, my elphie is getting married to…" she stopped there, and then continued almost spitting the name with disgust "to Val."

"But, but… that"

"At least I've been given the title of maid of honor, considering I'm one of the bride's… best friend" she also spat that last word, this time with a mix of disgust and hurt.

A million questions came to Croppe's mind to ask Glinda about, but then she started crying hard while it seemed like her sobs were shaking her whole body. So instead of saying anything else he sat next to her and took her in his arms to provide some kind of comfort, the questions could come later. "It's okay sweetie, it's okay" he said while holding her close.

* * *

><p>Galinda was sitting at her bed at Shiz, staring at the clock on the opposite wall. It had been almost two hours since Elphie had left, why was she taking so long? Maybe she forgot about their date, she wondered feeling sad (ok, maybe it wasn't really a date, their… meeting?). Or maybe, something had happened to Elphie! Why hadn't she thought of that earlier! She had to go look for her!<p>

She jumped from her bed, grapped a cloak and left the room very fast, not realizing while she was opening the door that someone else was standing at the other side. So she crashed in to the other person and ended up on top of her when they fell to the floor.

When she lifted her gaze to see who had delayed her in her search for her best friend she saw that friend's chocolate eyes staring back at her.

"Oh, Hi Elphie" she said with an apologetic smile, which turned into a frown. "Why did it take you so long?" she added while smacking lightly the other girl's arm.

"Hello to you too my sweet" Elphie said clearly amused. "I'm glad I arrived just on time to serve you as a cushion. Some of the things I needed to take care of took a little longer than what I had planned, I'm sorry. But why were you in hurry? Is there something important you have to do?"

Galinda smiled deciding to play along. "In fact I do. I have an important date tonight and I decided that if my date wasn't here yet, I could go get them".

"Hmm, really? A date? Won't your boyfriend get jealous?"

"Maybe, but he doesn't have to know, does he?" Galinda replied with a seductive tone while lifting an eyebrow.

"Galinda!" Elphaba replied faking shock. "I'm afraid I can't let you lose your virtue like that. So now you'll be forced to stay with me all night"

"But Elphieee, I was going to have all kinds of fun on that date"

"Don't worry my sweet, I'll keep you entertained" Elphie answered in a low, seductive voice. And just as she had finished talking both girls blushed realizing the subtext those last lines carried. They blushed even more when they realized they were still lying on the floor, one on top of the other.

Galinda cleared her throat and stood offering a hand to her friend to help her stand up. Elphaba took it and silence reigned in the corridor.

After a few seconds, Elphaba suggested they should leave and Galinda nodded locking the door behind her. Thankfully, by the time they had left the building, all the awkwardness had faded away.

"So, where are we going Elphie?" Galinda asked excited.

"That my sweet, is a surprise"

They took a carriage that took them to the train station and then Elphaba bought two tickets.

"Elphie, really. Now that we are practically leaving shiz, you are gonna have to tell me where we're going"

"Don't you trust me?" the other girl asked with amusement.

"Completely Elphie, completely" Galinda replied sighing.

After two stops, Elphaba announced they had reached their destination. So they got off the train and started walking out of this new station.

"That wasn't a long ride…"

"No, it wasn't. I had heard about this town a few weeks back, it has some interesting places to visit, but I never had the chance to see them. That is, until earlier today"

"What? When, how?

"That's why it took me so long to get back to our room earlier, my sweet. To be honest, I had heard about the interesting places this town had, like I told you. But before I brought you here, I wanted to make sure they were something you'd enjoying seeing. Actually, I was planning to bring you here sooner or later, but it was difficult to find a chance to check the place first. You don't know how many times I tried to do that" she added laughing "And that's when I realized we barely spend a few moments apart from each other"

At that both girls blushed.

"I'm sorry Elphie, but I can't help it"

"Help what?"

"Spending time with you"

"Oh, I wasn't complaining Galinda, or anything like that" Elphaba quickly clarified "I love having you next to me, I do".

"Me too Elphie, me too." The blond answered smiling.

They walked for a couple of blocks until a beautiful building could be seen on the next corner.

"That" Elphie pointed "Is the most important building in this town because it was the first one designed and built by Charles O'Hara"

Galinda's eyes went wide, had she just heard correctly?

"Yes" Elphie kept going after seeing her friend's reaction "He did actually build something, it wasn't a myth"

A few days back Galinda had shared with Elphaba her love for architecture, telling her about her favorite buildings, styles and architects. O'Hara's work, and the man himself, fitted in each one of those categories. Galinda told Elphaba his story, how at the beginning his work hadn't been appreciated, but years after his death, it became cherished. It was sad how that happened to so many geniuses. She had read once that, because of the fact that his art hadn't been liked at first, O'Hara had actually built a couple of structures around Oz, offering his services to the town's population completely free. It had been a way to make sure that at least some of his work would stay preserved once he was gone.

"I… I can't believe you remembered. I can't believe you found something like this. Oh Elphie" She hugged the other girl with tears of happiness going down her cheeks. No one had ever done something so meaningful for her. Yes, they had bought her extremely expensive and glamorous things, but not something like this.

"I could see a sparkle in your eyes when you talked about the subject. And I wanted to do something to see that again" Elphie said returning the hug. "Come on" she said kissing Galinda's temple and then taking her hand. "Let's go in"

After a couple of hours, they left the building smiling. Galinda talking excitedly about all the things they had just seen, until her stomach started growling.

"Ok, I guess that's my cue to start the second part of our outing"

"Date Elphie, date" Galinda corrected giggling. "Is there really a second part?"

"Of course there is. Aren't you supposed to feed your companion on a date?" Elphie answered smiling. "Come on" she added, taking Galinda's hand again and guiding her to what seemed like a restaurant a block away.

Once they got there she approached one of the waiters, Galinda was walking right behind her. "Excuse me, I ordered something earlier, they said I could come back and pick it up"

"Oh, of course" the waiter responded with a kind smile. "Delia told me about you, you talked to her right?" Elphaba nodded "She has your food in the kitchen, I'll tell her to bring it out, you can wait at the reception".

"Thank you" Elphaba answered smiling and went back with Galinda to the restaurant's entrance.

"You really made sure everything would be ready, didn't you" Galinda asked with a playful smirk.

"Of course Galinda, it was our first date, right? I had to impress you somehow…"

Galinda hadn't been expecting that answer, but before she could speak she saw someone approaching them. It was a pretty young woman with black hair and blue eyes.

"I wasn't sure you'd be back" she said approaching Elphie first.

"Hi Delia, of course I'd come back. And then she added turning towards her friend "This is Galinda, the friend I was telling you about"

Delia stopped looking at Elphaba to greet the blonde

"Hi Galinda" she said kindly "You know, when Elphaba came earlier today to order something and then asked if we could keep it here because of the day out you were having, I couldn't help but think you were a very lucky girl" she then turned to look deeply at Elphaba "to have her as a friend."

"I mean" Delia added with a small laugh "none of the girlfriends I had did something so touching, so personal, for me. And we were dating, we weren't even just friends."

Elphaba looked at Galinda "I kind of told Delia about the museum we were going to visit when I came to get the food".

"Oh" was the only thing that came out of Galinda's mouth, although so many things were going through her mind at the moment. First of all, who was this, this woman, acting all friendly with her Elphie. And why were they talking like long acquaintances or something? Then, had she just insinuated that none of her girlfriends had been as perfect as Elphie while not being able to look away from said girl. She was flirting with Her Elphie! And right on her face!

"Oh, it's okay" she quickly recovered, not wanting any of the things that were going through her mind to show on her face. "Well, it was great to meet you Delia" she added with a fake smile. "But we should leave, I`m pretty hungry after all".

"Of course" Elphie said turning to look at the waitress who handed her a bag of food.

"Ok" Delia said softly, clearly taken aback by the sudden departure. "But hey" she said talking to Elphaba again. "We should get together sometime. Shiz is only a few minutes away and I could really use a tour of the city, college, libraries… I go to another college not too far from here, and getting the chance to see how student live is in another campus would be very interesting" she finished with a charming smile.

"Sure" Elphaba said "Here" she added taking a pen Delia had been holding along with a paper, and started writing. "Galinda and I live at this address. You can come by or leave a message at the front desk for us, and we can arrange a meeting".

"That'd be wonderful, I'll make sure I do that Elphaba" the waitress said, taking the paper from Elphaba.

"Yeah, you do that" Galinda said hiding her irritation as much as she could, but clearly not succeeding completely. "They also offer tours for anyone that goes to visit Shiz, with students that work as guides, so that would even be a better option for you". She then took Elphaba's hand and started pulling her to the exit, while she said loudly not turning around "Good bye".

Once they were out and had taken a few steps Elphaba pulled her hand from Galinda's

"Well, that wasn't very kind Galinda" she said reproachfully "I know you are hungry, but that wasn't a reason to be rude with someone else"

"Rude? I wasn't rude" Galinda answered angrily "She was being rude, interrupting our time together. And since when are you so comfortable with other people and worry about being nice to them?"

"I didn't know that was a crime. And I'm trying to be nice to other people since you told me to, several times I might add".

Galinda blushed, Elphie was totally right.

"But, but… since when are you so comfy with strangers?"

"Since they act normally around me Galinda and don't feel repulsed by my skin. Oz, what has gotten into you?" she asked now angry too.

Galinda noticed the tone in her friend's voice and decided that maybe she had overreacted, she didn't want to ruin this day for them.

"I… I'm sorry Elphie. I really don't know". But she realized she did know, she had gotten jealous, but why? Elphaba had only been making a new friend, that was great, right? "Can we just drop it, please?"

"Ok" Elphaba said, starting to walk again "But at least make sure that the next time you decide not to be friendly with someone, you don't end up pushing away people who are actually nice to me. After all, I can't be left friendless, you know…" and then she added with what Galinda noticed as some kind of bitterness in her voice "… after you and Fiyero get married and go live someplace far away"

"Elphie…" Galinda said looking at her friend and feeling her heart stop when she saw the sadness that had suddenly filled the green girl's eyes "I'm never, ever, ever, ever, letting you go. We'll always be together". Then the blonde hugged her friend tightly.


	7. Discoveries

Disclaimer: same as previous chapters (I don't own anything)

A/N: Thanks again :) I hope you like this new chapter

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

After their talk, Elphaba and Galinda took a carriage that left them close to a lake. Galinda felt mesmerized by the beauty of her surroundings.

"Do you like it, my sweet?" Elphaba asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it's beautiful Elphie" she answered turning to look into her friend's eyes.

They shared a long and meaningful look before both whispered simultaneously without thinking "Just like you".

At hearing that, both of them blushed and looked away immediately.

What the oz is going on? Galinda thought to herself, but decided to keep the date thingy going, she would have to think about all of this later. She was starting to get confused about some of the things that had happened today, but she would need time to figure everything out, and right now was not the time or the place to do that.

She cleared her throat "Should we find somewhere to sit?"

They ate peacefully under the shadow of a tree. They talked about everything and just laughed and had a great time. After that, Elphaba laid on the blanket they had used as a picnic cloth and Galinda laid beside her resting her head on elphaba's shoulder, feeling completely contempt. They both fell asleep with a light smile on their faces.

It wasn't until a few hours later when Galinda started waking up. At the beginning she didn't know where she was, she just realized she was somewhere dark, in the outdoors and had a warm body pressed against her, cuddling her. Instantly all the memories from earlier came back to her and she smiled feeling extremely happy and… and complete? Was that the right word to describe it? She just knew that if time could stop right now and she'd stay like this forever she would be the happiest woman in the world. She just had an amazing day and now was laying in a beautiful and peaceful place, with shinning stars above her in the sky and the body of a certain green girl pressed to her back, holding her around the waist tightly. Galinda knew that she would have to analyze this feelings later, but not now she told herself.

So she turned around slowly to avoid waking her friend up. How had they ended up in this position anyway? She hadn't expected Elphie to be the kind of person to cuddle someone, but was very happy with her discovery.

From her new position she could see Elphie's features closely. And she could also feel her warm breath against her face and smell that intoxicating smell her roommate had. Because of the mix of oils she had, Galinda thought to herself. Oils she used to bathe with, maybe that was the reason why her skin was so soft… maybe she could show Galinda how to bathe using them. Or they could bathe together using them, Galinda suddenly thought, and then dismissed that idea quickly realizing its implications and started blushing. Really, what had gotten into her?

At that moment she felt the other woman stir, and saw her eyes open slowly. When the deep brown eyes locked with her blue ones Galinda felt like she suddenly couldn't breathe. Then a warm smile came along with the brown eyes and a low "hey, did you sleep well my sweet?" and Galinda could feel her heart skip a beat.

"Yeah" she said, recovering and returning the smile.

"I can't believe we fell asleep" Elphaba said with a small laugh. Then she checked her watch and continued "we still have close to 15 minutes to stay here and then get to the train station to catch the last train to Shiz"

Suddenly Galinda felt like she never wanted to leave this place, but she knew that wasn't possible. So she decided to enjoy every last minute they had left there as much as she could, and asked boldly (but shyly at the same time).

"Hold me? Until it is time to leave?

"Sure my sweet, always" replied Elphaba, laying back and opening her arms for the blonde to fall on her embrace. Galinda happily obliged and they laid there looking at the stars above them.

Twenty minutes later they were on a train back to Shiz.

* * *

><p>Upon the arrival to their room, Elphaba announced she was going to take a quick bath before going to bed.<p>

"I hope you had a good time my sweet" she added with a small smile.

"Yes Elphie, the best, thank you for everything" Galinda replied hugging her friend tightly.

"You know I love you Galinda, but you have to let me go for me to able to take a bath" Elphaba whispered to the blonde.

Galinda pulled away blushing because of the shiver she had felt after hearing Elphaba whispering and the image of Elphaba taking baths that had come to her earlier that evening.

"Sure thing Elphie" she responded, hoping that she sounded nonchalant.

"My hand too, you know" Elphaba added with a playful smirk.

Galinda looked down and realized she had been holding Elphaba's hand all this time. So she dropped it, but instantly missed the warm coming from it.

"Sorry" she said smiling

"It's okay" Elphaba shrugged "But next time, I won't warn you and I`ll just have to pull you along with me to the bathroom"

At that Galinda noted that Elphaba had started blushing too. Was Elphaba also feeling the same things Galinda was?

"I, I better hurry up" Elphaba added awkwardly and moved quickly to grab her bed clothes and move to the bathroom.

Galinda suddenly realized Elphaba wasn't acting herself either. She decided they had to talk tonight or she wouldn't be able to sleep at all. Besides, sooner or later she would end up sharing with her roommate everything she was thinking about right now, so she might as well do that as soon as possible. Maybe her friend could help her figure things out. Yeah, her Elphie would help.

"Her Elphie" there it was that term again… but why? Elphaba wasn't hers, was her?

_But you wish she were, face it. This is why you've been having these "feelings" all day _A voice in her head answered.

That's crazy, Galinda thought. Or is it not? Did she want Elphaba to be _hers_? But what did that mean? Sure, she had felt jealous at having someone flirting with Elphaba, but that would happen sooner or later right? And she would have to feel happy because someday her friend would find someone that loved her and she… she, she would love them back. At that thought Galinda felt a slump on her throat and felt jealous, angry and sad all of the sudden. No way! There was no way that was happening because Galinda refused to share her friend with anyone and Elphaba couldn't, wouldn't love anyone else. She had to love… And that's when it hit her…

"She has to love me" she whispered to herself.

_Her_. Was she in love with her roommate? She gulped at the thought, but deep down knew it to be true. How hadn't she realized that earlier?

Maybe she had, maybe she had just been trying to pretend she hadn't, but everything has a limit, right?

"I love her" she whispered again to herself.

But this time instead of staying where she was she got up and started pacing, clearly agitated. What was she supposed to do? Should she tell Elpaba? But then, the green girl might end up hating her… no, she wouldn't, would she? Would she feel the same way? And still, what would Galinda tell her parents, what would everyone at their school think? She would surely lose her status and… Fiyero, she would have to leave Fiyero.

"Wait, hold on. Get a hold of yourself" Galinda thought. "Ok, first of all, Elphie would never hate you, she… she's not like that". She tried to reassure herself.

"Second, you would have to worry about the consequences your feelings may have on everything else only if Elphie reciprocates those feelings"

"If Elphie feels the same way, if she loves me too" she said in a low voice with a big smile on her face, suddenly imagining all the amazing things that could come with that. "Sure, it wouldn't be easy, but it would be wonderful, extremely wonderful, right?"

At that moment, as she had been hearing everything from the other side of the door and had waited for Galinda to stop ranting, Elphaba came out of the bathroom.

"All set" she said and, noticing the strange look Galinda was giving her (like if she was searching for something) she added. "Are you okay my sweet?"

Oz, I have to tell her. It would drive me crazy not to, I have to talk to her tonight

"Everything is fine Elphie" Galinda answered quickly before grabbing her own nightclothes and going into the bathroom while adding "be right back, ok?" and then she closed the door. Now it was time to decide how to tell her roommate everything and hope… What was she hopping for? To have Elphaba reciprocate her feelings and start something beautiful? Or to have her understand Galinda but deny having the same feelings, giving the blonde and excuse to live her life the way she was supposed to?

Galinda realized the second outcome would shutter her. She was hoping for the first one, she would have to deal with the consequences later if her wish regarding this matter came true in the end.

After taking a quick shower, Galinda was standing in front of the bathroom's door. After taking a deep breath, she turned the knob and walked into her shared bedroom. She knew what had to be done now and felt a rush of fear and hope before speaking.

"Elphie darling" she started, looking at Elphaba who at that moment was sitting on her bed holding a book in her hands.

"What is it, my sweet?" the other girl answered without looking up.

"I need to talk to you. Come sit with me, please?" Galinda said sitting on her bed and patting the spot next to her.

"Ok, is everything okay?" Elphie asked joining Galinda.

"Yeah, I…" the blond sighed, looking at her friend straight in the eyes.

You can do this, big baby, just tell her! A voice in the blonde's head urged her.

"How do you feel about me?" the blond asked, deciding to start somewhere easy.

Elphaba shifted slightly, answering almost nervously "What, what do you mean?"

"I mean, do you…" Galinda cleared her throat "Do you, love me?"

"Of course I do! You are, you're my best friend"

Ok, no reason to let your hopes die just yet, the blonde told herself.

"Just that, your best friend?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand where this is going Galinda. I love you, you know that" then she added with worry and sadness in her voice "did I, did I do something wrong today? Something that is upsetting you?"

"No, no, no. Not at all" Galinda said, lifting her hand and caressing her friend's cheek. The last thing she wanted was for Elphaba to feel sad.

"It's the opposite actually" she continued, while keeping her hand on Elphie's cheek. "It has been one of the most amazing days I've ever had"

After hearing that, the green girl looked relieved and gave the blonde a smile that made her heart beat even faster than before. This was it, it had to be done now.

"I… Elphie, what I mean to say is that… you are…" Why can't I just say it? I have to, I have to…

And at that moment the blonde decided what to do. She was going to take a leap of faith, just jump and show Elphaba what was going on through her mind instead of trying to explain it.

So Galinda kept Elphaba's face still with the palm that had stayed on the green girl's cheek, and leaning in touched her lips lightly against Elphaba's. The moment their lips made contact, Galinda felt a rush she had never felt before go through her body, and that gave her all the confidence she needed.

She pulled away a few inches. "Elphie, I love you. I should have seen it before, maybe I just didn't want to accept it, but I love you as more than a friend. I want to hold you, I want to be with you, and I want you to love me back. Please, love me back…" when she finished saying that and saw Elphaba had a confused look on her face she began to panic and suddenly added "Or at least don't hate me for feeling this way, I couldn't bear losing you" she finished feeling tears forming in her eyes, but before she had a chance to say anything else, Elphaba leaned in and captured her lips on her own.

Galinda felt completely overwhelmed at what was happening. Elphaba's lips where moving against hers now and she just couldn't seem to get enough. So she moved her hand to Elphaba's neck to pull her closer as the kiss began to intensify. When it deepened, Galinda felt she was going to die right then. What hadn't she done this before?

When air was clearly needed, both girls broke the kiss and rested their foreheads together panting. "I, I love you too Galinda" Elphaba said and the blonde couldn't help but smile at this and start another heated kiss with the girl in front her. She was never going to stop doing this, ever.

Unfortunately a few seconds after the new kiss had begun, Elphaba broke it, pulling away from Galinda.

"But, what about Fiyero?" she asked with sadness in her eyes.

"It's over" Galinda quickly answered, and at that moment she knew she had made the final decision concerning that relationship. She had been thinking about it for a few days, but clearly she had now made a decision.

"It's over Elphie. It's just you, it's always been you" she added and pulled Elphaba for another kiss. The green girl responded by kissing her with so much passion that made Galinda moan loudly, while she pulled Elphaba even closer to her.


	8. The beginning of the end

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.

A/N: _I Dont Walk I Glide_ and _James Birdsong_: Thanks for your reviews!

Here's another chapter, sorry for taking so long.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

Galinda woke up the next morning with a big smile on her face. She then realized she had Elphaba pressed against her again, just like the last time she had gone to sleep. She really could get used to this.

The only difference was that this time she was facing Elphaba and from the moment she opened her eyes she saw her love already awake and looking back at her with so much love in her eyes that Galinda felt herself swoon.

"Morning Glin. Did you sleep well?"

"Morning Elphie" the blonde said snuggling against her friend… change that to girlfriend, snuggling against her girlfriend. She then inhaled deeply, enjoying the green girl's scent.

"Wait, did you just call me Glin?" she said looking lovingly at Elphaba.

"Yeah, don't you like it? I can come up with something else like…"

"No, it's ok. I like it" Galinda said cutting the other girl's sentence. "But, where did it come from?".

"Well, I guess I wanted a nickname for you other than my sweet, to make it more personal, you know. And Glin just came to me. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Dr. Dillamond calls you Glinda. But I know you are not very fond of that mispronunciation, so I can think of something else".

"No Elphie, it's really nice, I like it. And, let's face it, you could call me anything you'd like and I would still love it. Because it'd be something just between us, something special. I still want you to call me my sweet though" she added giggling.

"Your wish is my command" Elphaba said with a playful tone.

"Really? Mmhh, then… kiss me"

Elphaba was about to joke about that request when she saw the change in Galinda's look. It wasn't playful anymore, there was something much deeper in it.

To be honest, Galinda needed that kiss, she needed to feel Elphaba to make sure she wasn't dreaming. So she was happy when Elphaba leaned in and kissed her deeply.

After a few moments they parted for air. "It wasn't a dream. Last night really did happen and today we know how each other feels" Galinda said out loud without realizing it.

"In some way it's a dream my sweet. At least for me, it's a dream come true."

After a few more kisses and the acceptance that they'd have to leave their room eventually, the girls were finally heading down to the cafeteria holding hands. Once they arrived there they realized it was almost empty, and just a few students where left eating. Glancing at the nearest clock Galinda realized it was past lunch time. Elphaba had actually been serious when she mentioned how late it had been getting.

They approached the counter and ordered some food to go. From the beginning they hadn`t planned on staying there to eat, the plan had been to go buy some food and then go back to their room.

After they closed their bedroom door once they had gotten back from the cafeteria, the blonde pulled Elphaba to her for a kiss. She really couldn't stop doing this, and Elphaba didn't seem to mind. Actually she seemed eager to comply.

In some way Galinda was amazed at how natural this all seemed. It wasn't awkward like she feared it'd be. On the contrary, it was anything but that. It just seemed right.

* * *

><p>As the days passed it felt even more perfect for both of them. Galinda learned that she loved Elphaba more than what she realized. Or maybe, by being together she was starting to love Elphaba more and more.<p>

And who knew the green girl could be so attentive and romantic. Sure, she had been a kind and caring friend, and Galinda still had to reassure her sometimes that it was okay to kiss each other and have intimate touches and gestures. But Elphie was a fast learner.

In the end, all galinda seemed to think about these days was Elphaba. And she loved this, she loved every second of it.

* * *

><p>After exactly a week since they had started this new stage in their relationship, Galinda woke up in Elphie's arms again. She had thought earlier that she could get used to this… well, she had. They had been sharing her bed for the whole week and she realized she had never slept better in her whole life.<p>

She opened her eyes to see Elphaba still sleeping, so she stroke her cheek lovingly, taking advantage of this special moment in which she had her girlfriend all to herself. _Girlfriend_, they hadn't said that term aloud to one another yet, but that's what they were, right? I mean, you don't go kissing people randomly and dating them without earning that title, right?

As she kept her eyes on Elpaba, Galinda remembered how weird the other girl had been acting the day before. For the first time in a week Elphaba had said she was thinking about sleeping on her own bed that night and Galinda had had to make a pretty convincing argument for Elphie to lay beside her instead of sleeping somewhere else. Her argument was primarily based on the fact that they should wake up on each other's arms on the day of their _one week anniversary_ and that if Elphaba wouldn't get into her bed, she would have to get into Elphaba's during the night. So whether Elphie liked it or not, it was going to happen.

Remembering all of that, Galinda decided to go get some breakfast so she and Elphie could talk about whatever was bothering her.

After getting dressed quietly, going to the cafeteria and getting some food, she headed back to her dorm and opened the room's door to find Elphaba making her bed. She smiled at this and placed their breakfast on the table they had next to Elphaba's desk.

"Hi Elphie" she said beaming and hugging Elphaba from behind.

Elphaba stiffened at first but then stroke the pale hands that where circling her waist. "Hi Glin. You woke up early today"

"Or course I did, we have to enjoy each second of our one week anniversary as much as we can" she finished, turning Elphaba around and leaning to kiss her.

Elphaba moved away before Galinda could touch her lips to hers, which shocked the blonde.

"Elphie? What's going on?" the blonde asked worried.

"Nothing Glin. I'm sorry, it's just that… I need to talk to you about something very important"

"Okay" answered Galinda sitting in one of the two chairs placed around the table and giving Elphaba her full attention. "What is it?"

"My sweet, this last week has been perfect, amazingly perfect"

"I know Elphie, it was. But I don't…"

"Please let me finish Glin" Elphaba interrupted the blonde before she could continue "I love you and I love this, what's happening right now between us. But your friends are coming back tomorrow, almost everyone is just coming back from spring break tomorrow. And even though we haven't discussed this yet, once they come back and discover we are dating each other, things won't be pretty. I mean, even if we don't tell people about our relationship right away, they'll treat you differently just because we'll seem even friendlier around each other, and I don't want to see you get hurt because… because of me. So, I'll do the right thing and if you want to stop this before everything goes back to normal in this school, I'll understand your decision."

Galinda felt the sadness on Elphie's voice as she spoke. True, they hadn't actually told anyone at school about their relationship because before the big return from spring break there was barely anyone left in the building. On the other hand, she hadn't even told Fiyero yet, for Oz Sake (she just thought it would be unconsidered to break up with me in a letter, he deserved better). But eventually she knew they were going to have to tell everyone and that moment was close, and even though it terrified her, she was ready, she was.

"Elphie, I love you. Please, don't doubt us, we can do this. Don't doubt me. I know it will be hard, and I was actually thinking that maybe we should just tell everyone right away instead of waiting. We are gonna have to put this in the open sooner or later anyway. And if we do it right away, people may not care that much. After all, they'll have a lot to talk about regarding their recent vacation. This might just be the right time to announce we're dating, they'll be several things going around campus to distract them"

"I don't wanna push it, my sweet. But, are you sure you wanna do this? Honestly, if you change your mind right now, it will hurt. But you'll always have me as a friend, always. I just don't wanna push you into doing something that you're not confident about"

Glinda got up, at that moment she knew that nothing else mattered besides what she and Elphie had been sharing these past days. "I'm sure about this Elphie, I love you"

Elphaba responded by giving her a bright smile and capturing her lips in an intense kiss.

_Oh my Oz_, Galinda thought feeling her knees go weak during that wonderful kiss. How can she manage to do that? To make a kiss feel like the sweetest thing and at the same time make it as passionate as possible.

While recovering her breath, after they had parted, just like she could hear Elphaba doing, she saw the other girl pull away and walk toward her nightstand. Galinda kept watching her, curious at what Elphaba was doing until she saw her girlfriend took something out of the nightstand and head back toward her with a small black box in her hand.

"Happy one week anniversary my sweet" she said handing the box to Galinda.

The blonde was totally surprised by this "Oh Elphie, you didn't have to give me anything, I didn't buy you anything!" she said getting sad and anxious at the same time. She turned around and reached for her handbag "I'll go get you something my love. And then we can…"

"No Glin, it's okay" Elphaba responded laughing. "Just open it please? You can get me something for our second week anniversary.

Galinda realized that she was being irrational, she couldn't just storm out there and go Oz knows where on a Sunday to get Elphie Oz knows what. Besides, she already had a gift. She had found the perfect present, but it had been too late. It was a gorgeous bracelet, but after she had made the order three days ago, she had to wait a week for it to arrive.

"Besides, you can't leave wearing your night clothes" Elphaba interrupted her thoughts.

Galinda looked down and realized Elphie was right. What was about this girl that made her forget about everything but her?

Both Elphaba and Galinda started laughing at this and Elphaba handed the blond the black box again. "Here Glin, open it" she said.

Galinda took the box and opened it slowly; her breath hitched at what she saw inside. Reaching for her gift, she took out a gorgeous necklace with a beautiful stone at the end of it; a stone that looked like a combination made from an emerald and a pink diamond.

"Oh my Oz Elphie, this is… it's… how? it's too much"

"No it isn't. Here…" Elphaba responded taking the necklace from Galinda's hand and putting it on her while the blonde still looked shocked. "I love you my sweet. Nothing will ever be enough to prove that to you"

"Oh Elphie, I love you too, with all my heart" The blonde replied by throwing her arms around her girlfriend and kissing her deeper than she had ever kissed anyone before. "I love you and whatever comes our way, we'll face it. Because together we are"

"Unlimited. Together we are unlimited my sweet" Elphaba whispered, leaning into Glinda to capture her lips in another blissful kiss.

* * *

><p>And so, the next day arrived and Galinda woke up early with a mission on her mind. A lot of students had come back to Shiz the day before, but many more were due to arrive today or until tomorrow's afternoon. They had permission to arrive at Shiz until Tuesday because of the announcement Madame Morrible had made right before spring break started. Telling everyone about a faculty member meeting that was going to take place all day Monday and Tuesday's morning.<p>

That had given Galinda a couple of days more before having to face Fiyero and her "friends". But now it was time to do it, considering they were all arriving that morning.

So Galinda pulled herself out of Elphie's embrace and got ready to leave quickly. Before actually leaving she wrote a note to her girlfriend, not wanting her to worry. She hadn't told Elphaba about the conversation she was planning to have with Fiyero and her friends (Fiyero had said in his last letter he would be arriving in the first train and Galinda figured the girls would follow close), because she knew she had to do this alone. She left the note on her nightstand and after kissing Elphie on the forehead she left to face what was to come.

Upon arriving to the train station, Galinda realized she had gotten right on time because the passengers had just started getting down. She started looking for Fiyero in the mass of people and when she spotted him she waved, he waved back and walked toward her.

"Hi sweetheart" he said hugging her "Your last letter got me worried, is everything okay? When you said you needed to talk to me right after I got here I couldn't help but worry"

He is a really good guy, Galinda thought. "Could we go somewhere to talk please?" the blonde asked pulling away from the hug.

"Sure. Do you wanna get some breakfast?"

"Okay"

"Ok, then let me ask if one of the guys can take my luggage along with theirs to my dorm"

After one of Fiyero's friends offered to help with his luggage, they left the station, entered a coffee shop near it and ordered something to drink.

"Ok, what is it Galinda? I'm really starting to get worried. Are you okay?" "Is Elphaba okay?"

"Mmm, actually, it's about that… She… I mean we…"

GALINDA! The blonde suddenly heard someone screaming her name and was horrified at seeing Shensen and Phanne step into the coffee shop.

"Galinda, we were yelling after you since you left the station. We understand that you and your boyfriend want to have a little reunion" At that she send a smile toward Fiyero "but that doesn`t mean you can pretend not to hear your friends"

Oh, she really hadn't. Had she actually heard them, she would have asked Fiyero to go somewhere else, somewhere far away from that place.

"Do you mind if we sit dear?" Both her and Fiyero were about to protest but the girls were already taking sits next to them.

"Actually Miss Shenssen, we were having a private…"

"So I guess you were just about to tell her, right?" Shenssen interrupted Galinda while turning to look at Fiyero.

"In a moment, yes" Fiyero answered clearly disliking this interruption. But, tell her what?

"What were you going to tell me?" Galinda asked looking at Fiyero.

"Ok, so it's a secret, but a very special ball is going to take place soon in the Wizard's Palace, Galinda. A famous ball that hasn't happened since the year he took power. A ball that would make history" this time Phanne interrupted.

That caught Galinda's attention, could it be… "The Emerald Ball?"

"That's right dear, the Emerald Ball" Shenssen continued.

Galinda had heard about this ball. Who in the highest levels of society hadn't? It had been a yearly event during the Ozma's regiment and the last one had been held almost 18 years ago.

"Wait here, we'll go say hi to our friends right there and we'll be right back" Phannee said pointing to a group of people on the other corner of the room and then getting up pulling Shenssen with her.

"It seems some big changes are about to happen in Oz, just like Elphaba said" Fiyero suddenly said. "Everyone is seeing this ball as a sign of that. Only a handful of people will be invited, maybe that's why your friends are so excited"

"That ball will be amazing" Galinda said. She really knew it would be the event of a lifetime. "Are you invited?"

"Well, my family is…"

But before Fiyero could continue Shenssen came back to the table. "Hi, the conversation was getting quite boring over there" she said while sitting back. "And we have to start planning for the event Galinda!"

"Start planning what?" Galinda asked confused

"Well silly, I'm going because one of my father's youngest business partners asked me to accompany him. Isn't that exciting? And since you're going too…"

"But I haven't been invited" Galinda clarified feeling sad at the fact.

"But Fiyero has, you are going together, right?" She said looking from one to the other.

"Of course" Fiyero said offering Galinda a kind smile. "I mean, if you want to…"

Before Galinda could answer, Shennsen interrupted again "Well, that's settled. Your mom was so happy Galinda, she was extremely proud of you. Your parents said they weren't expecting anything else less from you".

"My parents? When did you see them?"

"During my time in the Emerald City, you should have seen your mom's face, she was so happy and proud"

Before Galinda could react to that comment, Phanne came back to the table followed close by a group of girls. Why was there always people following them everywhere? Couldn't they get a life?

"Galinda dear, I've just heard the most disturbing news"

At that Fiyero asked Galinda if she wanted to order something else or if he should just pay. Understanding that meant he wanted to leave too, Galinda told him she didn't want to order anything else and Fiyero excused himself before leaving the table.

"Galinda, seriously" Phannee continued, clearly unhappy they were leaving so soon. "I just heard you have been spending time with the, the green bean! Is that true?" she asked clearly outraged.

"No! You couldn't! could you?" Shennsen asked mimicking Phanee's reaction.

Galinda then realized every female in the group before her had the same horror expression on their faces.

The blond gulped. What now? This wasn't supposed to happen this way! She wasn't supposed to be ambushed by every female in a 15 feet ratio. There wasn't supposed to be a ball in a few months that would be everything she had ever dreamed of. She wasn't supposed to crush her parent's hopes and happiness by not going there because she was dating… a girl, a green girl, a green girl with almost no social status. But she loved her, right? That's all that mattered.

But then she saw again the expression on the girls' faces and couldn't help but imagine her parent's tears and looks of disapproval at her decision. And when she saw Fiyero coming back to their table, she realized he was everything she had ever hoped for. At this moment she had everything she had ever hoped for in life, everything everyone else expected from her. Holding back her tears, she realized that loving someone wasn't enough. She was too weak, she wasn't strong enough.

"Well?" Phanne asked clearly exasperated because Galinda hadn't answered yet.

The blonde swallowed and with a fake smile added "Of course not! She's a freak after all, isn't she?"

What was she doing! She questioned herself while everyone else around her laughed.

"Are you ready?" Fiyero asked once he reached the table, clearly he didn't know what had just happened.

Galinda nodded getting up and saying a quick bye to everyone. She felt in a trance; what had just happened?

Once they were out of the coffee shop, she also said goodbye to Fiyero, agreeing on meeting him tomorrow at class. He reminded her that they hadn't had the chance to talk about what she had been worrying about, but she apologized and said she had decided to organize her thoughts first.

After saying goodbye to Fiyero and taking a few steps away, she started running to her room, crying and hating herself for what she had just done.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone watching her leave, someone who had also just left the coffee shop and had heard everything the blonde declared about her roommate.


	9. Gone

Disclaimer: I don't own wicked or any of its characters.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews :) They really inspire me to continue writing this.

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><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

Galinda ran as fast as she could to her dorm, ignoring the looks of curiosity directed at her. Once she entered her room she felt relieved not to see Elphaba around and she collapsed on her bed sobbing so hard that her whole body was shaking. However, the relieve of not having to face Elphaba right away, didn't last longer.

"Glin! What happened, my sweet?" Elphaba asked clearly concerned. She was just coming out of the bathroom.

She then approached the blonde quickly picking her up from the bed and putting her on her lap.

Galinda kept crying while clinging to Elphaba. She knew she was doing something wrong, she had no right to receive this kind of comfort. But for the love of Oz, she couldn't let go.

"Shh, what happened?" the green girl tried to calm her "Wait, the letter. You wrote that you were going to the train station to meet your friends, did they do something to you?" she finished with a hint of anger in her voice.

"Nooo, don't leave me" Galinda pleaded "Please don't ever leave me"

"I won't" Elphaba said holding the blonde closer, clearly not understanding the blonde's response or anything that was going on.

After a few minutes, Galinda finally spoke, releasing Elphaba from her hold and staring up to look at her in the eyes. She saw so much love and devotion there that she felt like dying right at that moment. How could she have been so weak?

"Elphie" she started knowing that Elphaba deserved to know the truth, even if it was killing Galinda to talk to her about it right now. She took a deep breath and continued "Elphie, I… I did meet a few girls there. I also met Fiyero"

"Fiyero? But I thought you said you had broken up…" the green girl asked confused.

"No, I said it was over, I was going to tell him today" Galinda replied.

"But… then, you were cheating on him with me?" Elphie said feeling hurt. But then after looking at how devastated Galinda looked at the moment, she decided to let that go for now "It's, it's fine my sweet. If that's what is making you cry, then don't worry about it. As long as it was over like you said… and in the end you broke up with him, so it shouldn't…" but then she stopped noticing how Galinda's head had dropped at the mention of this last sentence.

"You did break up with him, didn't you?" she asked in a low voice.

Galinda started sobbing again at hearing the pain in the voice of someone she loved so much.

Elphaba was about to speak again when there was a loud knock on the door. Both girls ignored it at first, but it kept going on and after a few seconds a voice was added "Elphaba, it's me, Nessarose".

Elphaba took a deep breath and turned around to open the door.

"Hi Nessa" she greeted her sister. But she wasn't letting her in; she was also blocking Galinda's figure by leaning her body against the door frame.

"May I come in?" Nessa asked.

"I'm sorry Nessie, it's really not a good time. I'm… cleaning, and I know how much you hate when dust falls on your slippers" she added pointing to the ruby slippers Nessa wore all the time.

"Yeah, I guess you are right" Nessa said "But I still need to warn you about your roommate, Elphaba. She's not who you think she is. I know you have become fond of her, but I don't think she returns the sentiment. I… I stopped with Nanny in a coffee shop to get some breakfast before getting here and I heard her talking to other girls"

At that Galinda completely froze. _No no, no, no!_

"She called you a freak, and then they all laughed at you. I'm sorry for being so blunt about this, but what happened is just a clear proof of who she really is. Just a shallow, selfish, cruel girl"

"Thanks Nessa, for being honest with me" Elphaba whispered. "I'll be sure to stay away from her. Good bye" she then kneeled to give her sister a kiss on the cheek.

"You do that Fabala, you do that". Nessa added while leaving.

Elphaba then closed the door and turned around with tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, Elphie" Galinda said, also crying while she approached the other girl.

Elphaba stopped her in the middle of the way by raising a hand and then asked loud and clear "Is it true?"

"I…" the blonde didn't know what to say.

"Galinda, is it true?" Elphaba repeated

Galinda started sobbing desperately. "I'm sorry Elphie, I'm sorry! I went to break up with Fiyero and to tell the other girls that anything that happened between us was none of their business. But I couldn't, I couldn't just turn my back on everything I had built so far, I couldn't turn my back on my parents, and their expectations, I couldn't…"

"You couldn't love me enough to do that. I wasn't enough for you" the green girl finished for the blonde.

"Nooo!" Galinda almost screamed while walking toward Elphaba. "No Elphie. It's me, I'm not good enough. I love you!" she finished trying to hug her.

"Please don't touch me" Elphaba said pushing her aside. "How can you say that after what you've done? I gave you a chance to walk away. I gave you a chance for you to admit it had been a mistake and that you needed something more, something different. But you lied to me, you said that wasn't true, that you loved me!"

"I do love you!"

"No you don't. If you actually feel that way about me, then tell me I had this all wrong. Tell me you're not still dating Fiyero, tell me you didn't chose your friends' approval over me, tell me you are willing to take a chance on us, forgetting about social expectations, because right now we both now you can't have both. Tell me you choose me…"

Galinda didn't know what to say; just a few minutes ago she had just been reminded of the expectations surrounding her, of her obligations and the chance she now had to achieve everything she had ever hoped for… but she also knew how much love she felt for the girl standing in front of her. She couldn't make a decision right now! She couldn't choose at this moment; her heart was telling her something, but her mind was telling her the opposite. She…

"That's what I thought" Elphaba said after waiting a moment for the blonde to gather her thoughts. She then took her coat and left without saying anything else.

Realizing Elphaba was leaving, Galinda went toward her, but it was too late. The door had just closed behind Elphie and she only ended up crashing against it. She then turned around looking at the empty room while feeling new tears going down her cheeks.

From this new position Galinda noticed something she hadn't seen earlier. On the table there were two plates with food on them and a rose lying in the middle. A white envelope was leaning against the flower.

Galinda approached the table still shaking and opened the envelope.

"_My sweet,_

_I just read your note. You should have told me where you were planning to go, I could have gone with you to give you some kind of back up or moral support. But I guess you decided to do this on your own for a reason. I've never told you this before, but you are very strong, even if you don't think you are (what you are doing right now is a clear example of that), and I admire you for it._

_I went to buy some of your favorite fruits for breakfast. So please wait for me to finish taking a bath and getting dressed before we enjoy our meal together, okay?_

_I love you so much. Thank you for your words yesterday, thank you for staying with me._

_Yours forever,_

_Elphie"_

In a quick move, Galinda threw everything off the table, sending all the plates crushing to the floor in an outburst of anger. She then fell to the floor and, to her surprise, didn't start crying again, in fact she could barely breathe.

"I'm sorry Elphie. Please come back, come back to me".

* * *

><p>The first thing Galinda felt once she opened her eyes was a deep headache; at least she was lying on her bed, but how had she gotten there? She then turned to see the floor on the other side of her room, and was surprised not to see any broken plates and glasses lying everywhere.<p>

Maybe, maybe Elphie had come back? She thought with a rush of hope.

Just then the door opened and someone came into the room. It was Elphie's nanny.

"Finally, you are up. I was about to take you to a doctor and call your parents"

"That won't be necessary, thank you" Galinda replied while rubbing her forehead like if that would make the headache magically disappear.

"Where's Elphaba?"

"She's not here, I thought you knew that" the old woman answered. Closing the door behind her and approaching the blonde.

"Are you really feeling better?" she asked with concern in her eyes "You've pretty much been out for a day; whatever happened yesterday really took its toll on you".

"I'm feeling a little bit tired, but I'm okay" Galinda said trying to smile to the other woman to prove her statement.

"I just wanted to talk to Elphie. Do you know if she'll be back soon? I wonder if I should look for her in the library" she added trying to stand up, but the older woman pushed her back down to the bed gently.

"I think you should rest some more" Nanny said and at Galinda's questioning look she continued "We don't know when Fabala will be back, so there's no reason for you to get up. She could come back tomorrow, or in a few days, maybe a few weeks…"

What was this woman talking about? "But… but she was just here."

"Yes, as I said, she left. She left yesterday's afternoon, to be more exact. I thought you knew; Madame Morrible had been insisting on her taking a trip to the Emerald City to take a couple of magic courses, considering the specialized books they have over there on the subject. Having both your Headmistress and the current Vizier giving her a quick course was a great opportunity for Fabala. Still, she had been refusing to go, saying something about things she needed to take care of here first. But then yesterday she suddenly changed her mind and left"

Galinda felt like she was going to start hyperventilating at any moment, this couldn't be happening, Elphie couldn't be gone. Gone for maybe days, weeks, months even?

"But she didn't say goodbye" she said, hearing her voice shaking "I thought she had carried me here" Galinda continued pointing to her bed. "I thought she had cleaned up everything after I… after I tripped" she corrected herself quickly.

"Oh, you mean the plates and everything that was on the floor? I picked all of that up. Fabala came to look for me and she asked me to come here and get her some clothes, oils and other things she'd need for the trip. When I came in here, I saw you on the floor so I took you to your bed and started picking everything up. I guess that eventually Fabala couldn't wait anymore because a driver came to take her suitcase, saying she needed to leave soon. I wasn't able to go to the station with them, but luckily I had already said my goodbyes".

Galinda felt devastated, she had thought Elphie had picked her up from the floor and had taken care of her, but what was she expecting?

Then the blonde remembered Elphaba was gone and felt her throat close while tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Thank you very much" she said to the woman that was still standing next to her. Would she be there if she knew the pain the blonde had caused Elphaba?

"Sure darling. Now I'll let you rest, you can call me if you need anything else. After all, Elphaba and you have gotten very close, so she would kill me if I didn't look after you" she added with a small smile and left.

Galinda stayed on her bed and started clutching her pillow. She then let the tears she had been holding drop. But this time, she wasn't just sad, she was scared, horrified that Elphie might not be coming back to her. That she had lost her forever.

She clutched her pillow tighter and started crying harder once she realized some of Elphaba's scent was still on it. How was she going to survive without her, how?


	10. Awakening

Disclaimer: Same as previous chapters.

A/N: _lifelover88 _and _I Dont Walk I Glide__, _thank you so much for the reviews! You guys are awesome.

A/N 2: Sorry it's taking so long to get to the part where the first chapter of the story is explained and where you see what happens next. But I thought it'd be important to see into the girls' relationship first. We'll be moving forward soon though, I promise. 

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

And so the days passed. Galinda decided she didn't want to think about how much everything hurt, how she had just ruined the one good thing in her life and how Elphaba had left because she had pushed her away. She decided she would block her feelings, thoughts, everything. Because feeling numb was better than the pain that came from not blocking everything and everyone out.

She ended up staying in her room at all times. No one was allowed to go in, except for Nanny who had a key and who would come once in a while to check on her.

The first time Nanny had come, she had let Phanne and Shensen in with her, thinking _that _would help the blonde. But she decided not to do that anymore after seeing how those girls reacted (they had barely talked to Galinda and had left fast to start spreading the news about the state in which Shiz's queen was at). So Nanny decided not to let anyone in anymore, except Fiyero. He did come in a couple of times. Galinda wasn't sure about how many though because really everything was like a blurry picture to her and she only drifted in and out of sleep during the day.

One of the times she opened her eyes coming out of one of her naps she could see a nurse talking to nanny next to her bed.

"I'm really worried now" Nanny was saying "I already contacted her parents and they're on their way, but it's like she's not even here anymore. She doesn't leave that bed and she barely eats. She doesn't speak at all… what's wrong?"

"Well, for what you told me… and considering how you found her the day all of this started, I'd say she had an emotional break-down. Having her parents here will help her through that, and also they could confirm if this has happened to her before. Anyway, just having them here, with her will help her a lot; when this things happen, being with the people you love and feeling cared about is the key. So clearly their parents are the key"

And then Galinda uttered a word without even realizing "Elphieee"

The nurse having stopped in mid sentence at hearing something from the blonde stood up quickly coming to her side. "Did you hear that?" she asked turning to look at Nanny.

"Yes, I think she said Elphie"

"Is that a friend of hers?" the nurse asked curious

"Actually, she's her roommate. She left a few days ago to the Emerald City under Madame Morrible's request"

"Would she be coming back soon?"

"I don't know… I haven't told her about Galinda in the letters I sent because I don't want her to worry. Especially not if there might not be anything she can do to help… I really don't know if she'll be back"

At that Galinda felt an involuntary whimper leave her mouth.

The nurse clearly seeing the signs turned again to look at Nanny. "Maybe, maybe if they were close you should tell her about what's going on here. She might be able to help; at this point we should try anything"

Nanny just nodded and Galinda saw her heading out before closing her eyes once again.

* * *

><p>The next thing Galinda knew was that she was feeling a light touch on her cheek, a touch that seemed to be bringing her back to life. Then, while keeping her eyes closed, she realized she could smell her… she felt Elphaba's scent around her. She was terrified it was only a dream, but she had to make sure, so she opened her eyes slowly and felt her heart beat fast at seeing green skin and sharp but beautiful features close to her.<p>

Elphaba didn't seem to realize she had woken up (maybe because her eyes had barely opened before they closed again). And Galinda decided not to move, enjoying the way Elphaba was caressing her cheek delicately.

"What have I done Glin… I shouldn't have left like that. This is… it's my fault"

Nooo, the blonde felt herself scream.

"Elphieee, don't" she barely whispered instead

"Glinda? Glin? Wake up, please open your eyes"

And Galinda did just that, looking lovingly at the girl before her. "It's Galinda, with a Ga" she said, wanting to cheer the girl in front of her up; not bearing to see Elphaba so distressed because of her.

At that Elphaba just burst out laughing and held the blonde close to her.

"Oz Galinda, you scared me to death. You scared everyone to death, what happened?"

Galinda felt so overwhelmed at the moment… Why was Elphaba being so caring, did that mean she didn't hate her anymore?

"I… I thought you hated me. I thought you had left me" she said whispering and then she remembered all the horrible things she had done to this amazing girl in front of her and continued "I'm so sorry Elphie, So, so, sorry. I don't deserve you, but I can't live without you, please stay, stay with me. If you don't want to be my friend again, that's… that's okay" she added sobbing "but please, don't go"

"I'm not going anywhere my sweet" Elphaba said. "I know we have to resolve some things between us, but right now is not the time. I need to go get the nurse to tell her you woke up. They might want to check you up right away now that you are conscious. I´ll be right back, okay?" she finished stroking the blonde's cheek.

Galinda only nodded, hoping Elphaba would be coming back fast.

"Ok then" the green girl whispered and left quickly to get the nurse. Galinda just stayed there, looking at the ceiling, waiting for her Elphie to come back.

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling Miss Upland" the nurse asked while pointing a flashlight to Galinda's eyes.<p>

"Much better, thank you" the blonde answered glancing at the door.

The nurse noted this and with a small smile said "don't worry, she'll be back soon. The cafeteria is pretty busy at this time of the day, that's why it might take her longer than usual".

"Yeah, I know that" the blonde answered with a shy smile.

At that moment, the room's door opened and Elphaba came in.

"How's she doing?" she asked the nurse, handing her a sandwich.

"Very well. Thank you for the food Miss Throop"

"You're welcome" Elphaba answered with a smile "I heard that you still have to go back to a long shift and we can't have you passing out on top of a pacient because of the lack of nutrients now, can we?"

The nurse laughed along with Galinda. "Guess not" she said, then handed Elphaba a jar of pills. "Give her these vitamins every day and make sure she eats properly. That's all she needs to get a full recovery".

"Thanks" Elphaba said putting the vitamins on her own nightstand.

"Ok girls, take care. I'll see you tomorrow Miss Upland. I heard your parents we'll be arriving then, it'd be good for you to see them. Good night" 

After closing the door behind her, Elphaba turned to look at Galinda. "Did you hear that? Full recovery… I guess you won't be needing me to…"

"You are not leaving again, are you?" Galinda asked terrified, not letting the other girl finish what she was saying.

The reaction the blonde was having clearly worried Elphaba. She moved towards Galinda and kneeled next to her bed, looking at her. "You didn't let me finish Glin. I was about to say that you won't be needing me to babysit you anymore. Look, I know these past days have been rough on you, but you can't be so afraid that I might be leave"

"But I am! I need you, haven't you realized that yet?"

"That's what scares me the most Glin. I can't stay by your side all the time. Fearing that if I leave for a moment, you might end up getting sick"

"I know Elphie, I know" Galinda said sounding almost defeated "But at least I need to know I have you with me here" she said pointing at her heart "I need to know we'll always be… friends" she finished. She wasn't sure where she and Elphaba were standing right now regarding their relationship. She just knew that she needed some form of Elphie's love.

"When you left, I thought… I thought you hated me" Galinda said.

Elphaba just nodded. "You hurt me Glin"

"I know! And that's what killed me, I thought that I had lost you forever"

"You won't lose me" Elphaba said almost whispering.

At that Galinda couldn't contain herself and leaned in to kiss Elphaba. But her friend just pulled away quickly

"What are you doing?" she asked confused.

"I… I'm sorry"

Galinda noticed Elphaba struggling to say something, so she decided to give her some time. When her friend didn't say anything and instead got up quietly to put the food she had bought for both of them on some dishes, she decided that they needed to talk about some things first.

"Elphaba, why did you come back? I mean, after what I did to you?"

"Well" Elphaba started heading towards her friend. "I received a letter from Nanny. She told me how you were and why she hadn't let me know earlier. She also said that they were having a hard time contacting your parents and that you needed someone you could trust next to you, and according to Nanny, that was me. So I came because you were ill Glin, and I was really worried about you"

"But, after what I did to you…"

"Before all of that happened and before our fight, you had been my friend Glin. No one had ever given me that chance before. You were able to see pass my skin. You cared for me, you were my best friend. So a couple of days after I reached the Emerald City, I realized that maybe I had overreacted. Don't get me wrong, what you did was wrong and hurtful, and we still have to solve some of the issues that were left hanging between us. But I knew that being more than friends was going to be difficult, mainly for you. That's why I had offered you the chance to leave that behind and stay friends. When I remembered that, I also noticed that it didn't make sense for me to tell you it was okay to pretend nothing happened one day and then yell at you the next day for doing just that. As I said, what you did still hurts Glin, and I don't feel like I can trust you completely right now, not as much as I used to"

"But we can work on that, can we?" the blonde asked with fear in her voice. "I`ll do anything Elphie, anything to make it up to you, to win your trust again".

"I know my sweet, I know. I know you care about me"

"I love you" the blonde said loud and clear, earning a smile from Elphie.

"I love you too, that's why I'm here. And I know that eventually we'll resolve all of those issues I was telling you about. We'll be okay Glin"

Galinda felt so much relieve and happiness, she felt she was going to explode.

"Maybe we weren't ever ready to become something more than friends anyway" Elphaba then said.

Wait, what? Was she…

"Do you regret what happened?"

"No, absolutely not. All I'm saying is that maybe we weren't ready to take that step…"

"Yeah, maybe…" the blond replied, although she knew that wasn't the problem. But she wasn't going to push it right now After all, she had just gotten her Elphie back. This was all she needed, at least for now.

During the last hours, she had been thinking about everything that had happened earlier. And she realized that it was clear as water that she needed Elphie by her side. And for the way she felt butterflies in her stomach, along with the need to kiss her senseless every time she saw her, she knew that she needed to have Elphaba as something more than a friend. But this time, she would make things right. Specially because she knew she couldn't just start kissing Elphie and expect her to kiss back acting like nothing ever happened.

She knew she had hurt her friend, and she was going to make it up to her for the rest of her life. At the same time she was going to prepare herself to let everything else besides the green girl go.

Maybe she had left the pressure from her circle of "friends" and from herself force her to believe she had to let Elphie go. But clearly it was the other way around. Now she was going to get stronger and, like she said, prepare to leave everything behind for the girl she loved. She only hoped she could win her love's trust again and that she would wait for her, because on her part, she knew she could only feel happy and complete with Elphaba. There would never be anyone else, never.


	11. The day before it all started to change

**Chapter 11**

The next day, Galinda woke up with a smile on her face. She hadn't succeeded on convincing Elphaba to sleep next to her, but just being able to look at her across the room was enough… for now (she reminded herself).

A few minutes later, Elphaba woke up and greeted the blonde with a smile. Then she got dressed and went to get breakfast for both of them. Once she was back they ate their food while having a pleasant talk with each other.

"Elphie, why did you call me Glinda the day you got here?"

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?" Elphaba remembered laughing "and the first thing you did was correct me. There wasn't even _a how are you doing Elphie?_"

"Yeah, sorry" the blonde replied blushing. "But really, why did you call me that?"

"I really don't know Glin. Maybe because I was getting used to call you Glin… and Glinda came automatically. But don't worry, I've been careful not to make that mistake again"

"Actually…" Galinda said looking directly at her friend "I think you should. I mean… I'm thinking about changing my name to Glinda"

Elphie started laughing at that, but then she noticed Galinda was joking. "But… but, why?"

"It feels right, you know. It's like I had been sleeping for a long time. Sometimes having nice dreams, sometimes nightmares. But, in the end, I wasn't living life at full until… until you came along. You woke me up from that slumber and the moment you did that, the moment you came back to me, you called me Glinda. So it symbolizes a new start from me, that's why that should be my name from now on, because that's who I am and will be from now on."

Elphie was clearly speechless at what she had just heard. "Wow Glin, you clearly thought about this, didn't you?"

Galinda just nodded. "So, call me Glinda from now on, please?"

"Whatever you wish, Glinda" said Elphie with a loving smile.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door that broke the moment they were just sharing.

Elphie began to get up to open the door, but the blonde rose faster, wanting to open it and glare to whomever that had just interrupted them. That's until she saw who was standing on the other side.

"My baby" was all she could hear before her mother launched at her, almost knocking her down.

"Darling be careful with her, she's still recovering" her father said. "Galinda doodle, are you okay? You scared us to death"

"I'm okay dad" the blonde said as clearly as she could, considering her mom was still hugging her tight, almost not letting her breath. "Mom, air, please…"

"Oh, of course darling" the older woman said releasing her daughter. She then turned to look at the green girl that had been standing in the back of the room, clearly not wanting to interrupt. "And you must be Elphaba" she said while approaching her.

"Yes ma'am" Elphaba replied, but before she could say anything else she was receiving a hug like the one the blonde had just gotten.

"Thank you for everything dear. The nurse that brought us here explained how you helped our daughter recover. We owe you so much" she said almost sobbing.

"It's okay" Elphaba said, returning the hug and comforting the older woman.

The blonde felt tears forming in her eyes at this scene. Elphaba was so wonderful, how could she be so lucky as to have her?

"Thank you dear, thank you" the older woman said pulling away from Elphaba.

"Now… Galinda dear"

"It's Glinda now" Glinda said

"What?"

"I said it's Glinda now, I decided to change my name mom. It symbolizes my recovery and my new beginning in life"

Glinda's mom was clearly taken aback by the sudden change. "But…"

"What your mom was about to suggest darling" interrupted Glinda's father, clearly sensing that now was not the time to discuss this issue "was that we should all go grab something to eat. After the nurse told us you were much better, we thought it would be a good idea"

"Can Elphie come too?" Glinda asked.

"Sure darling, whatever you want" Glinda's mom answered after recovering from the shock of her daughter's announcement. She realized that it didn't matter what name her daughter decided to have as long as they had her with them, happy and healthy. 

* * *

><p>That afternoon, after sharing a pleasant meal, both girls went with Glinda's parents to the train station to say goodbye.<p>

"Thank you for coming, I love you" Glinda said embracing both parents at the same time.

"Just take care Glinda" replied her mom with a smile on her face. "I will. I'll miss you both, momsie, popsicle"

"We we'll too Glinda" said Mr. Upland with a warm smile. "And Elphaba" he turned to the other girl who had been standing half a feet away "Make sure to come visit us soon".

"Yes darling, you are always welcome" Mrs. Upland said taking the green girl's hand and pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, very much" replied Elphie shyly.

At that moment they heard someone announce it was time to board and Glinda said good bye to their parents one more time before they started walking towards the train.

"Was it just me or did you notice something more than friendship between those two?" Mrs. Upland asked while they were walking away from the girls.

"I'm glad you mentioned that, I was starting to think I was imagining things".

"Me too, until those _things _started happening over and over again" Mrs. Upland said with a playful smile "Our daughter isn't really subtle, isn't she?" she added laughing.

"Not at all" Mr. Upland replied laughing too. "Do you think Elphaba knows?"

"I think she does, but if she doesn't she'll know soon. Do you… do you mind darling that our girl would fall in love with another woman?"

"I had never really thought about it, considering she was always chasing boys. But I've been considering it all afternoon and I wouldn't actually mind. I actually like her better than I could ever like any boy"

"Haha, of course you do. I don't think I mind either. Sure, at the beginning it was a shock, just like the change in her name. But I see how happy she is when she's around Elphaba and how her eyes tinkle whenever she says her name. She clearly loves her, and as long as she's happy, I'm too"

"Me too darling, me too" Mr. Upland said kissing her wife's forehead while they sat at their assigned seats.

* * *

><p>"My parents love you" Glinda commented while they walked back to their room.<p>

"Mmhh, I wouldn't say love Glin, the just met me" the green girl said laughing.

"That doesn't mean they don't love you. And even if they don't, they will eventually, I can see it"

"Well, I really like them Glin, I do"

Glinda took Elphaba's hand in hers while they kept walking. She couldn't stop thinking about the fact that maybe she had misjudged her parents. Maybe they wouldn't care that much if she and Elphaba started dating, right? After all, they had clearly loved Elphaba, even if the green girl didn't want to admit it. They had never reacted that way to any other friend or boyfriend Glinda had had. Sure, they had been kind and everything, but not that warm. Glinda could almost swear she saw her mother smirking knowingly when she invited Elphie to visit. Had she been too obvious today? She had to admit that there were moments when she couldn't help but glance lovingly at her friend. Had they realized how she felt? No, no way, she had been very subtle.

Anyway, maybe she had misunderstood her parent's expectations. Maybe she thought they wanted her to have a wealthy husband and an important position in society because they were only supporting her in what she had been saying she wanted all along. After all, hadn't momsie said that the only thing that mattered was for her to be happy? Then if Elphie made her happy, they'd accept and embrace that relationship right? Yeah, she knew her parents, they would never turned their back on her; really, what had she been thinking? And by the way momsie and popsicle had acted around Elphie today, she just knew her love would be welcome with open arms into the family.

"Glin, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" she replied turning to look at Elphie.

"Well, you've been quiet for a really long time. Are you tired?"

"No, I've been thinking that's all" Glinda replied realizing they were close to their room now. Had she zoomed out for that long?

"Really? Should I be sca…"

Elphaba stopped in mid sentence when she saw someone standing in the hallway. Glinda who had been looking at Elphie turned to look at what had caught the green girl's attention.

"Good evening Galinda, Elphaba" Fiyero said warmly while standing up from where he had been sitting.

"Good evening" they both answered simultaneously.

"I'm glad you are doing so much better Galinda. They told me so before I entered the building, but I had to make sure it was true, thankfully I convinced one of the janitors to let me in".

"Thank you Fiyero. By the way, it's Glinda now. This experience has given me a new beginning and a new attitude towards life. Therefore the change in my name" Glinda finished, explaining because she didn't feel like waiting for the prince to ask first.

"I think it suits you. And, as I said, your recovery is a big relieve. Elphie and I were very worried about you" he finished.

Glinda frowned at this. How many times had she told Fiyero he couldn't use Elphie's nickname freely.

Elphaba answered with a smile "I've been actually meaning to thank you Fiyero, for what you did the day before yesterday"

"What happened?" Glinda asked feeling curious.

"Well, Madame Morrible wasn't very happy when she learned I had come back to Shiz to look after you. She said I was making great progress by being away with nothing to distract me. So, a day after I got here she came while Fiyero and I waited in the hall for the nurse to finish checking up on you and she went nuts"

"Yeah, she started yelling at Elphie like a crazy woman and just when it seemed that Elphie was gonna jump and kill her right on the spot…"

"she really had stepped over the line. I wasn't in the mood to be yelled at, I was worried about you" Elphie clariefied looking at Galinda.

"…I stepped in front of her to try to stop Madame Morrible from yelling" Fiyero finished.

"Oh, no. You did more than that, Fiyero. I ended up behind you, so I don't know what kind of look you gave her, but I've never seen her shutting up so fast"

"She was being rude, you didn't deserve that, and someone had to do something"

"Well, thank you for doing that" Elphaba replied with a small smile. Then an awkward silence surrounded the three of them.

"Well, it's late and…" Glinda started. Sure, she had felt touched about the fact that both Elphaba and Fiyero had been worried about her. But she didn't like to hear about private moments they had been sharing with each other.

"Oh, sorry, you're right Glinda. I'm sure you want to spend some time alone with Fiyero after all" Elphaba said looking down.

_No, no, no, no_. That was not what Glinda had meant. She had been trying to send Fiyero home.

"I'll see you at class tomorrow Fiyero" Elphaba said, but before she could leave, Fiyero quickly approached her kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow" he replied blushing.

Elphaba was clearly shocked, but she recovered, offered the prince one last smile and then headed fast to her room's door, closing it quickly behind her.

Glinda turned to look at Fiyero shocked, still trying to understand what had just happened. "What was that? And for Oz' sake, quit blushing" she demanded.

Fiyero was taken aback by the blonde's strong reaction. And then decided to play along for a while.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you jealous" he said smirking, clearly teasing the blonde.

"I could never feel jealous of my best friend" Glinda said looking at her room's closed door.

"Who said I was talking about her?"

"What, what do you mean?" Glinda turned quickly after hearing Fiyero's question.

"I think you know Glinda" Fiyero replied, all playfulness gone from his voice.

"I don't know what you're talking…" Glinda stopped in the middle of that sentence realizing, by looking at Fiyero's eyes, that he knew. So she changed her question while turning her look towards the ground "How?"

"The few times Nanny let me into your room to help take care of you… I would sit on a chair close to your bed, and that's when I heard you. You kept whispering her name, sometimes with love, sometimes with fear. That's when I knew, you needed her, you loved her. I should have seen the signs all along".

"You… you are not mad?"

"No Ga, Glinda" she corrected himself. "I completely understand, more than you know"

No, he couldn't be… could he?

"She's an amazing girl and I know she feels something special for you too. So, you better make her happy. You both better make each other happy" he added while pulling the blonde into a hug.

"Thank you Fiyero, for being so cool about it"

"No problem dear. Just, listen to me and tell her how you feel. If you don't do so soon, someone else might…" she finished with a mischievous look.

"Someone… like you?" the blonde asked playing along.

"You never know Glinda. But as long as you make her happy, I'll back off, okay?"

"So you do have a crush on her…" the blonde continued, trying to see if her suspicions were correct.

"I wouldn't call it a crush. I think it runs deeper. But like I said, I won't get in your way, you seem to belong together. Just, love her like she deserves, okay?"

"I will, for as long I live" she replied hugging Fiyero tightly. "You're an amazing man Fiyero Tiggular, did you know that?"

"Of course I do, dear. Of course I do. And I think you meant the most spectacular instead of just amazing"

Glinda laughed at that while retreating from the hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow"

After closing the door behind her, Glinda saw Elphaba had already gone to bed. She must have been very tired, considering she hadn't been sleeping well because she had been taken care of the blonde.

Glinda wondered if she should wake her up to tell her everything between herself and Fiyero was over. And that she didn't care about her status anymore because now she knew she only cared about her, her Elphie. And then they would kiss all night to make up for all the time they had spent apart… yeah, waking Elphie up was so tempting. But Galinda knew that she could wait till morning, so she only brushed Elphaba's cheek with her thumb softly.

She couldn't believe she had hurt her so much just a few days ago. What had been the matter with her? How could you hurt someone so precious to you?

She felt Elphaba stir in her sleep, so she stopped caressing her cheek, but added whispering: "Good night daring. I love you, with all my heart. Tomorrow everything will change. Tomorrow's the start of a new beginning for both of us".

Years later, Glinda would remember the last sentence she had spoken that night word by word. Had she been feeling or sensing an imminent change coming? Surely not, because had she known about all the things that were about to happen, she wouldn't have hesitated about waking Elphaba up to tell her and show her how much she loved her, before the day ended.


	12. Nice to meet you

Disclaimer: same as previous chapters.

A/N: _I Dont Walk I Glide and lifelover88, _thanks again for the amazing reviews! Love you guys.

A/N 2: Ok, so things should start going faster from now on. So let me know what you guys think. Is there something you'd like to see happening in the story? Suggestions are welcome.

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

The next morning, as soon as her eyes had opened, Glinda sat up on her bed with a huge smile on her face, not only because she had had a wonderful night's sleep but also because today was the day when her future with Elphaba began. With that last thought on her mind, she turned around quickly to greet (and wake up if it was necessary) her dear roommate.

But Elphaba wasn't there. Frowning, Glinda noticed her bed was already made and her school bag and shoes were gone. Where could she possibly be at… six in the morning! (Glinda confirmed by looking at her watch). Great, just the day Glinda decides to wake up before her friend, Elphaba is already up doing Oz knows what.

And that's when Glinda started getting worried, had something happened to Elphie in the middle of the night? Maybe she was at the infirmary… or maybe, maybe she went back to the Emerald City. No! That couldn't be it.

While thinking that Glinda got up and almost ran to Elphie's side of the room to check her closet. She sighed in relief when she saw that everything was intact, all her roommate's things were in there. Then, what had happened?

The blonde turned around to check Elphaba's bed for any clue and that's when she saw a paper with her name written on it waiting for her on top of Elphaba's night stand.

"_Glin,_

_Sorry I had to leave so early on your first day back at school. But something big came up, I'll explain everything to you once we see each other later today. _

_I don't want you to worry about me. I'm okay, just taking care of some stuff and I`ll see you at our first class._

_Love,_

_Elphaba"_

After reading the note, Glinda felt much better. Elphie was okay, she was going to see her in a couple of hours in their Life Sciences' class and they`d talk after that.

* * *

><p>The first thing the blonde did once she entered her first class that morning was to look for Elphaba, but she didn't see her anywhere. She scanned the room a couple of times and then decided to just take a sit and wait for Elphie to arrive. Noticing there where two empty seats in the last row, next to Fiyero, she decided to go there.<p>

"Hi Glinda, how are you? You look beautiful this morning, more than usual if I might add. Is this a special day or something?"

"Thanks Fiyero" Glinda said appreciating the fact that he had noticed the extra effort she had made today to look her best. "Today I`ll follow your advice about acting on my feelings".

"That's great. Although I don't think sitting next to me will actually help you with that. After all, everyone thinks we're still dating".

"I really don't care what everyone else thinks, I just care about her. And whether we date or not should be only our business, don't you think? Most people at this school should really get a life instead of intruding ours. Besides, you were the only one who had two empty seats next to him, so I pretty much didn't have any other choice but to sit here" Glinda added playfully.

"Well, thanks Glin, I cherish your company too" Fiyero answered laughing "And you're right about everything you said; clearly, if Elphaba made you see things that way she's the best thing that could happen to you".

Glinda was about to respond when suddenly a man entered the room holding a briefcase and Elphaba followed close behind, sitting quickly in one of the front rows.

Glinda frowned; great, just the day she ends up sitting in the back, Elphaba has to take a sit in one of the front desks.

Elphaba turned around and when she spotted Glinda she mouthed "New teacher"

Glinda raised her eyes for a second to look at the man who had just entered. He was standing next to the teacher's desk searching for something in his briefcase. Glinda quickly noticed that people around her were whispering, clearly wondering about the same man.

Turning to Elphaba Glinda mouthed "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I`ll tell you later"

"Good morning class" the teacher began, interrupting the friends' silent conversation and Elphaba turned around on her seat to look at the front of the class.

"Is everything okay?" Fiyero whispered to Glinda

"Yeah, I think so" Glinda said lost at thought, where was Dr. Dillamond?

"My name is Dr. Nikidik and I'm your new Life Science's teacher. Dr. Dillamond had to leave this course permanently so I'll continue with the lessons just where he left off"

Glinda noticed Elphaba shivering (probably with anger) at hearing that.

"We'll start today's lesson with a small experiment you'll find fascinating" he then walked toward the door and opened it, motioning someone to come in. A young boy entered the class room pushing a cart that had a blanket covering something on top of it.

"As you all know, lately there have been discussions about the rights Animals should or should not have in Oz, when clearly they're not that different from animals in general. This disagreement has caused many Animals to become rebels and criminals, who usually pass as animals to infiltrate certain places or get in touch with certain people. So today I'm going to show you how to distinguish between and Animal and an animal, because even thought there are really small differences between them, we can take advantage of them to keep us safe"

The new teacher then lifted the blanket to show a baby lion trembling inside a cage.

"Behold the lion, king of the forest" Nikidik said mocking the situation. "The specimen right here is too young for us to need to be extremely careful, but we still don't know if it's an Animal or an animal. So the first tool we'll use to know for sure about this lion's nature is this one" he continued, showing everyone a large metal stick. "This, my students, gives electric shocks to the subject's body from an energy source it carries within. Clearly if we use this several times, the subject will find itself obliged to say something or make a sound which will confirm…"

"But sir, that's barbarian" Glinda heard Elphaba speak up, almost yelling at the man. "You can't possible suggest something so low for human beings to…"

"That's a lack of respect Miss…"

"Miss Thropp"

"Miss Thropp. You're completely out of line. This instrument was invented by the Wizard himself to protect us and you won't speak ill of him and the methods being used by scientists these days to protect us! Do you understand me?"

"But sir" Elphaba continued, clearly losing her patience. Glinda stood up ready to defend her friend. Elphie didn't deserve to be treated this way; besides she was right, this was barbaric. But before she or Elphaba could say anything else, Nikidik picked up the metal stick from the table and touched the lion cub with it, passing the electricity he was talking about to the small lion's body. The cub just growled in pain.

"STOP THAT!" Both Elphaba and Glinda screamed while the rest of the class looked fascinated at what was happening. Except for Fiyero, who had stood up next to Glinda the moment both girls had yelled.

But when the teacher didn't respond to the demand, something else happened.

Suddenly a strong wind filled the room and Nikidik dropped the tool he was holding and his body started twitching and whirling around. Soon all the students started following, except for Glinda, Fiyero and Elphaba.

"What's going on?" Fiyero asked Glinda, clearly shocked.

The blonde looked at Elphaba and when she saw her standing straight next to her desk, without moving at all, she realized this was a spell, a spell coming from her friend. Elphaba then turned around, and Glinda noticed, by looking at her eyes, that she seemed to be in some kind of trance.

"She… she's not controlling it. I think she's… You should get the cub while I get Elphie and we'll meet outside, okay?" Glinda said turning to look at Fiyero.

"Okay" Fiyero replied while they started to walk, trying not to be hit by any of the students whirling around or the things that had started flying all over the place because of the wind that was getting stronger by each second.

Once they got to the second row, Fiyero kept going while Glinda started walking toward Elphaba's seat. When she reached her friend, she took her by the shoulders and noticed Elphaba's eyes seemed to be looking far away.

"Elphie" she said shaking her friend a little "Sweetie, wake up, wake up!"

"Elphie, wake up!" she screamed louder this time, and then the classroom's door burst open and a figure with a black cloak walked in.

Glinda then heard a strong female voice screaming loudly.

"Elphaba, stop this right now!" "FAE, STOP IT, RIGHT NOW!"

Just at that moment, Elphaba's blank stare disappeared and after blinking a couple of times she turned to look straight at the blonde who was standing next to her "Glinda? What…?" And then she realized what was going on around her.

Before either of them could say anything else, both girls heard steps coming from the entrance of the class room. The cloaked figure was stepping closer to them.

Once that person stopped in front of Elphaba and Glinda, the blonde was finally able to see who was under the cloak. It was a young woman, with brown hair and green eyes that were looking straight at Elphaba. Before saying anything, the woman lifted a hand, causing the wind to die away instantly. With another hand motion, everyone stopped twirling and fell to the floor.

"What the hell was that Elphaba?" the woman asked.

She then surveyed the classroom quickly looking at Glinda and Fiyero for a brief second.

"I… I don't know. I'm sorry. He…" she said pointing at Nikidik who was now down on the floor next to his desk "he was hurting a small cub. He was torturing him and he wouldn't stop or listen to me… I just lost it"

Glinda saw the woman's eyes turn from confusion to caring after hearing that. The woman then turned to Fiyero "And you…"

"I was getting the cub to safety" the prince answered, looking surprised at seeing her.

"Ok, downtown there's this small club called the Three Aces do you know it?"

"I've heard of it. I haven't been there, but I can find it"

"Good, take the cage and here, take this" the woman said taking out a ring from her pocket and giving it to Fiyero. "Ask the owner of the club to keep the cub safe. Tell them I'll be there tonight. Do you know who I am?"

What a silly question, Glinda thought… how could he…?

"Or course" Fiyero said, surprising Glinda.

"Ok, then you know you'll be safe too"

Fiyero just nodded, but before leaving he turned to Elphaba and asked "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you very much Fiyero"

The prince just nodded and smiled before turning to Glinda and giving her an encouraging smile. He then left.

"Ok, we don't have much time, the spell I cast will wear off soon" the brunette said while looking at both girls. Then with one last hand motion, she made every window in the classroom blow open. "This is how it's going to go. I'll leave and after a minute or two, everyone will wake up. They won't remember the spell Elphaba cast.

Elphaba, you'll just tell them a strong wind came in and everything went flying all over the place. They'll believe that even if they don't remember it actually happening, that's the beauty about the first seconds of this spell. There won't be a cage, so they won't remember the lion and it will be like absolutely nothing happened. After that I'll come back and I'll ask the teacher to let you leave for the rest of the class, we need to talk about this".

"Yes, I know" Elphaba said sounding ashamed.

"Hey, it's okay" the brunette said encouragingly, and then took Elphaba's hand "I'm proud of you for what you did. But you can't just lose your temper and lose control over your powers. Still, you have a good heart, and I admire that"

"Thanks" Elphaba replied with a small smile "I…"

"We'll talk about it later, we don't really have much time now. Thank Oz you have good friends by your side" she finished looking directly at Glinda, and then she left the classroom quickly.

Glinda had so many questions going through her mind at the moment, like: who was that woman? How did both Fiyero and Elphaba know her? Although… she did look familiar, for some reason. Was she close to Elphaba? Because they seemed comfortable around each other… But, none of that mattered at the moment, they only important question right now was…

"Are you okay Elphie?"

"Yes, my sweet, I'm okay. Shocked by all of this, but I'm okay".

"You hadn't called me that in a while" Glinda said while grabbing Elphaba's hand and taking her along with her school bag to the back of the room, where they were still two seats left empty. "I was so scared…" she finished while both girls took a sit.

"I'm sorry. But you should know that I would never ever hurt you Glin"

"Oh, I know that. I mean, I was scared about you. I didn't want you to get hurt, and you had a blank stare and it was like you couldn't listen to me, even after I started screaming right in front of you…"

Elphaba didn't let Glinda finish, deciding to hug her tightly instead. The blonde clang to her, wishing they could stay like that forever. For a moment she had felt like she was going to lose Elphaba again.

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll learn to control it..."

"Is that why she's here?" Glinda asked "Who's she?"

"You don't recognize her, Glin?" Elphaba asked breaking the hug to look at Glinda.

"No, should I?" Glinda said pouting.

"You are really something Glin, aren't you?" Elphaba continued, clearly amused.

"But you still love me" the blonde said, hoping for a positive answer from her friend.

"Always my sweet, always" Elphaba responded with so much sincerity that Glinda had no choice but to hug her tightly again. "I love…"

But before she could finish, they heard movement around them and realized everyone was starting to wake up.

"Ready?" Elphaba whispered while hugging her friend.

"Ready"

"Okay, so you know what we have to say. I'll see you later today, okay my sweet?"

"Okay" Glinda answered breaking the hug to look at Elphie's eyes. She then realized how close they were, so close that she could actually kiss Elphie right now and wouldn't even have to move an inch. Maybe now is the time… she thought to herself while moving toward the other girl slowly.

"Glin, what are you…?" Elphaba started to ask, with a confused and… hopeful? look on her face.

"Sshh" Ginda answered approaching Elphaba, she just wanted to do this, she had to.

"What happened?" came Nikidik's voice from the front, causing Elphaba to pull away from the blond quickly, turning to look at their teacher.

Angry at the interruption Glinda answered glaring at the professor "A strong wind came, causing every window to open abruptly and then everything went flying around. Don't you remember?" she finished exasperated.

"Oh, yes. Of course, now I remember"

While Nikidik was talking, the students had also started standing up, talking about how they remembered that happening too.

"Well, then we should pick everything up now and…"

Suddenly there was a loud knock on the door and the teacher went to open it "Now what?" he said while approaching the door.

"Okay my sweet" Elphaba said turning to Glinda once again "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay Elphie, take care"

Then they noted Nikidik coming toward them. The woman they had seen a few minutes ago was walking right behind him.

"Miss Thropp, you presence has been requested, so you may leave for the rest of the class" After finishing that small sentence, Nikidik turned to the woman behind him and bowed his head in some sign or respect.

"Thanks" Elphaba simply answered, while putting her things into her bag.

"I'm afraid we haven't been introduced yet" the brunette then said, approaching Glinda and extending her hand toward her.

"Oh, you're right" the blonde said taking the offered hand and shaking it. "Glinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands. Nice you meet you, Miss…"

"Valerie, Valerie Klayrtone. Nice to meet you"

"Wait, you are..." That's why this woman looked so familiar!

"Yeah, she is. Meet the Grand Vizier of Oz, Glin" Elphaba said, giving Valerie a warm smile.


	13. Oz's Grand Vizier

A/N: Sorry, but there was a little mistake with Val's name. Her name is Valerie, not Viola.

Also, sorry for taking so long to update.

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><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

_And so, I ended up with nothing else to do but wait_. Glinda thought to herself.

She had waited for Elphaba to come back to their room for what felt like hours! Maybe because you've really been waiting for hours, duh! She found an inner voice answering.

She had left her first class that morning the moment professor… whatever his name was… had dismissed it. And, she was forced to skip the rest of her classes today because she knew she had to return to her room as soon as possible. Elphie would be coming back any minute, and she'd find out about everything that was going on.

But then Elphie didn't come back as fast as Glinda thought she would. It was actually getting dark outside and there were no sign of either her roommate, or Elphaba's new… acquaintance (Glinda refused to believe there was something deeper than that going on between them without further prove).

With that thought in mind she moved toward her desk and started looking for something in the pile of magazines she had on it. When she found the magazine she had been looking for, she took it with her to her bed and sat while she started reading, for the third time that day, an article in the middle of the magazine.

_Meet Oz's Grand Vizier_

_(An exclusive interview between Valerie Klayrtone and Ozmopolitan takes us to find out everything about Oz's new IT girl)._

After reading the headline (for the third time that day), Glinda turned to the next page to see if there was something she had missed the first times she had read the article.

_Ozmopolitan: Hi Valerie. Before we start this interview, let me thank you for agreeing to it. It's an honor to have you here and this is really an amazing chance for all of Oz to get to know you better, so thanks again. Now, let's begin; tell us something about yourself, where did you grow up? When did you find out that you had magic abilities?_

_VK: Well, first of all, the honor is mine. I was surprised and touched when I received an invitation from the magazine to do this interview, so thanks for having me here. Also, thanks for calling me "Oz's new It girl". I'm not sure I deserve the title, but thanks._

Oh come on, don't try to sound all humble. Glinda thought to herself while she kept reading.

_I was born and raised in the Emerald City in a middle class family. From the moment I started to show some talent in magic, at an early age, my mom and my aunt decided that I had to take some courses and start training to be able to control these abilities. The problem was that there weren't that many courses around available for "future witches" so my aunt ended up getting some books and together we used to study and practice. _

_Ozmopolitan: Oh, so is your aunt also a witch?_

_VK: No, not really. She only helped me throughout my learning process._

_Ozmopolitan: What about your mother, was she a witch?_

_VK: No, she wasn't. She was actually very scared at the beginning because of all the magic outbursts that started happening around me (she adds laughing softly). But in the end she learned how to cope with it. _

_Ozmopolitan: Unfortunately she died before she saw you turn into Oz' Grand Vizier, right?_

_VK: Yes, it was a terrible loss, for all of us. But even though she didn't get to see me as the Grand Vizier, she always said that she was proud of me, and that's all I needed to know._

_Ozmopolitan: Of course. Well, we don't want to bring sad memories back to you. So, tell us, how did you end up working for the Wizard?_

_VK: Well, it was actually because of my aunt. After my mom passed away, we needed to get jobs to start saving for school. _

_Ozmopolitan: We?_

_VK: Yeah, my sister and I._

_Ozmopolitan: Right! You have a sister. _

_VK: Yes, and before you ask, she's not a witch either, haha. But she's good with potions and stuff like that. Anyway, we needed to get jobs so my aunt took me with her to the Wizard's palace to ask for an audience. Of course, she didn't get one right away, but after insisting a lot, and I mean A LOT… so much that at some point I was sure the Wizard would either take us in or shoot us the next time he saw us… we got an audience. That day I showed a couple of spells I had been working on and the Wizard decided to take me in._

_Ozmopolitan: That was before you started college, right?_

_VK: Yeah, right before that. _

_After meeting the Wizard, it was decided that I should attend the Emerald City University to study sorcery. I had a wonderful teacher there who helped me a lot with my training. After I graduated, I began working for the Wizard officially, and after proving myself for a couple of months, I was named…_

_Ozmopolitan: The Grand Vizier of Oz_

_VK: Exactly._

_Ozmopolitan: We've heard that that can be a very exhausting job. And it requires a lot of magical abilities, that's why we hadn't had a Vizier in such a long time. But, is it true? Does it take a lot from you?_

_VK: Yes, it does. It can be very hard sometimes to do this alone. I mean, it's very rewarding, but it can be both physically and mentally challenging._

_Ozmopolitan: Would you like to have a Co-Vizier? Or something like it? Or would you actually hate to share that title._

_VK: Well, I certainly wouldn't hate it. And now that I think about it, it would actually be kind of good for two reasons. One, because I wouldn't have all the pressure on me; I know, selfish, right? Haha. And two because it'd be nice to teach someone all the things I've learned so far. _

_Ozmopolitan: But if someone gets to work right beside you, it'd have to be someone very talented. _

_VK: Yeah, I'm aware of that. But I know there's talent out there, talent that might be even bigger than mine. _

_Ozmopolitan: Really? Well, that's interesting… so are there any candidates?_

_VK: Well, I wouldn't call them candidates. But we have our eye on some prospects._

_Ozmopolitan: "We" meaning… _

_VK: Some government officials and I. Nothing definite has been said, but we are always open to new collaborators that can help us make Oz a better place._

_Ozmopolitan: Well, then we'll be paying attention to that. Now, before we end this interview, there's one last thing I need to ask you._

_VK: Sure, shoot._

_Ozmopolitan: Is there a special someone in your life? And let me be more specific before you dodge that question somehow. Are you dating someone?_

_VK: Haha, I was wondering when you were going to ask that, and I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not dating anyone right now. Honestly, I don't feel like I have enough free time to get into a serious relationship. But I know that when the time comes, I'll make sure to make time to take that special someone into my life with open arms._

_Ozmopolitan: I hope you end up finding that someone soon, Valerie. Thanks again for the interview and I hope we get to talk again soon._

_VK: I hope so too. And thanks for…_

After that, Glinda stopped reading, shutting the magazine and throwing it away to the other side of her bed. She already knew how the article ended (with both Valerie and the interviewer saying how nice the meeting was and how much they'd hope to have another one soon).

Glinda didn't know what to believe from the article. Sure, now she knew Valerie had lied a couple of times in it. For instance, how could she say she didn't have free time when she had taken her Elphie away for hours today! Didn't she have a job to do? Wasn't there some town, or city or Ozian that needed to be saved with her magic?

And what about Elphie? Surely she'd be worried about all the classes she had missed today and the assignments she hadn't turned in. I mean, just because the Grand Vizier came to talk to you, you shouldn't leave everything else behind, right?

Sure, Glinda understood that Valerie was important in Oz, but that didn't justify Elphaba's actions. She should be right now with the blonde, explaining what had happened earlier. After all, Glinda would also be someone important someday, someone as important as Valerie. So she deserved as much attention as the brunette did.

Suddenly, some voices could be heard from outside the building. Someone was laughing and Glinda felt her fist clenching when she recognized Elphaba's laugh along with someone else's. Just when the laughter had started to fade, the blonde approached her window to make sure she had listened right, and she felt extremely angry when she saw Elphaba hugging Valerie, apparently to say goodbye, only to have Valerie return the hug and kiss Elphaba's cheek before walking away. Who did that girl think she was to have the right to do that!

A couple of minutes later, the door turned open and Elphaba walked inside like nothing had happened. The nerve!

"Hey Glin" she said "I thought you had gone to sleep, I was afraid I'd wake you"

"YOU-TOLD-ME-TO-WAIT-FOR-YOU, ELPHIE DEAR" Glinda answered between clenched teeth. After all, she was doing all she could to keep her composure.

"Well" Elphaba continued, recognizing her friend's mood and swallowing slowly. "I'm sorry for taking so long. But when I told you to wait, I didn't know you'd take it so literally, after all, we could have talked tomorrow morning…"

"WHAT?" Glinda found herself screaming, so she decided to turn the volume of her voice down before continuing. She didn't succeed on keeping the anger from her voice away, though. "What are you trying to say Elphie? That I should've gone to bed after everything that happened today? You put a spell on everyone at our class this morning and then left with a stranger for hours! I was worried" Glinda finished, falling to her bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. The last thing she wanted to do right now was fight with Elphaba.

"I'm sorry Glin" Elphaba said, realizing how worried her friend had been. "I should've come back earlier, but I lost track of time. But, just so you know, I saw some of our classmates today, the ones that ended up under my spell, and they seemed to be doing just fine. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't run away with a stranger today, Val is a friend and after I explained to her what had happened, we talked about how to help Dr. Dillamond and then we went around town doing some sightseeing and catching up".

No, that last part didn't make Glinda feel any better, at all.

"Why didn't you tell me about her before?"

"About whom, Val?"

By then, Elphaba had walked toward Glinda and was now kneeling in front of the blonde (who remained sitting on her bed). Before Glinda could continue, Elphaba held her hands and started caressing them affectionately.

"Yes, about her. I thought… I thought you had spent all your time in the Emerald City working only with Morrible"

"Well my sweet, I thought you knew, but I was supposed to work with Morrible and the Grand Vizier at the same time. That is what Morrible had offered me, after all. Although, honestly, I don't think she ever planned on me training with Val. I actually ended up meeting her only because the Wizard required her assistance in the Emerald City urgently".

"So… are you… friends now?"

"I guess so" Elphaba said while she got up from where she had been kneeling and then gave a light kiss to Glinda's hands before walking toward her bed.

Glinda felt herself shivering at the contact.

"When is she leaving?" the blonde then asked.

"When is she … I didn't ask her that, Glin" Elphaba answered, somewhat surprised at the blonde's question.

"Well, I'm only asking because… because she must have a lot of things to do, right? It says so right here, in this magazine" the blonde finished, grabbing the magazine she had been reading minutes ago and stretching her hand toward Elphaba to give it to her.

Elphaba smiled at seeing how adorable her friend looked at the moment.

"Glin, you can't always believe what you read in those things, you know that"

"Do you mean she has nothing else to do than spend her time at some random college?

"Of course not, I only meant that I didn't ask her when she was leaving because it wasn't right. Come on, I'm not Shiz's social butterfly and even I know you don't go around saying something like: Hi, it's great to see you. By the way, are you leaving soon?"

"Fine, then what about: why are you here? Are you allowed to ask that?"

"Well, I know that already. When I left the Emerald City to come see you, I left so fast that I didn't have the chance to say goodbye to Val. I was only able to leave a note trying to explain myself and thanking her for all the things she had taught me.

After we left Nikidiki's classroom today, she told me she had come here because of that. Because of my sudden departure. She wanted to make sure I was well".

"I wished you had told me about her, Elphie. Actually, now that I think about it, we never really got the chance to talk about your time in the Emerald City. Not until today"

"Yeah, I know. We had a lot of things in our minds, Glin. I was worried about you and you were recovering"

And I was trying to save our relationship at the same time, Glinda thought to herself.

"But there isn't really much left to say. After I got to the Emerald City, I worked with Morrible for a couple of days and then Val arrived and she started practicing magic with me too. Then I got the note from Nanny, telling me about your health and I came back immediately"

"Are you… are you going back with Valerie to the Emerald City?" Glinda asked scared.

"No, my sweet; we already discussed this, remember?" Elphaba said as she approached Glinda again and kneeled in front of her "I'm not leaving you again, and if I ever go back to the Emerald City, I`ll take you with me. Deal?"

Glinda could only smile after hearing that, she knew Elphaba would keep her promise.

"Deal" she answered, hugging Elphaba tightly. "I love you Elphie, more than anything".

"I love you too, my sweet" Elphaba said kissing Glinda's temple once she broke the hug. "Now we should both get to bed, we look completely exhausted"

Glinda nodded and both girls started to get ready to sleep.

"Are you and Valerie going out tomorrow again?" Glinda asked, once she had changed into her nightdress.

"Yes, I think so. I mean, we didn't make any plans for the entire day, but we decided we'd meet each other in the morning to have breakfast". Elphaba said, while getting into her bed.

"Can I go?"

"Sure Glin, I'm sure Valerie will love to get to know you. And I'm sure you'll end up liking her too"

Well, we'll see about that. Glinda thought. After all, if Valerie didn't get in between Elphaba and her, they could actually become friends, right?

"Thanks Elphie, goodnight"

"Goodnight Glin, sweet dreams"

"Sweet dreams" Glinda replied before drifting to sleep.


	14. Jealous Glinda

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews :)

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><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

The next day, Glinda woke up early, too early for her taste. But she hadn't been able to sleep any longer. Today she was going to get to know _Val_ better.

She reminded herself she had decided during the night that she wouldn't go to their meeting with the assumption that the brunette was after her Elphie. No, she would be fair, and she would really try to get to know Valerie well before making up her mind about her.

So she got up and got ready to look her best. She wanted to look as presentable and intimidating as possible for two reasons. One, because she was having breakfast with the Grand Vizier, after all. And two because, as much as she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling away that there was something going on between Elphie and Valerie.

By the time Elphaba had opened her eyes, Glinda was already sitting on her bed, ready to leave.

"Good morning, Elphie" Glinda greeted her roommate with a huge smile on her face. After overcoming her early worries, she had ended up feeling happy she had woken up earlier than usual. That had given her time to get ready without any rush, and she had also enjoyed the chance of seeing her roommate asleep. She always marveled at the way Elphaba looked when she slept, so peaceful and beautiful.

"Good morning, Glin. What time is it?" Elphaba answered with a small smile at seeing her bubbly roommate.

"A quarter to seven"

"What?" Elphaba said, turning to look at her watch. "Wow, you are right. When I saw you up and ready, I thought I had slept until noon" she said, teasing the blonde.

"You mean green thing. It never takes me that long to get ready" Glinda answered with a small pout.

"I know, my sweet" Elphaba said laughing softly and getting up.

She then walked toward Glinda, still looking asleep. "But that pout was worthed, you look adorable" she said and then gave the blonde a quick kiss on the lips. The moment the contact was made, she pulled away instantly, blushing and stammering backwards. "I'm so sorry, Glin. I didn't mean to… You just… I…"

Glinda was so surprised at the sudden kiss that she wasn't able to move or speak at all. And then she smiled noticing how nervous Elphaba was and how cute she looked at the moment. She was going to tell her that it was okay, but before she had the chance to say anything, Elphaba continued her mumbling.

"I… I, I, better get changed" and with that Elphaba almost ran toward the bathroom.

Glinda stayed sitting on her bed, bringing her hand to her lips, just where Elphaba's own lips had landed moments ago. She had missed that feeling so much… and fortunately it seemed Elphaba still cared about her as more than a friend. She would get her Elphie back in no time.

Once Elphaba left the bathroom, she grabbed her bag and asked Glinda if she was ready to leave. The blonde nodded and they left their room, without mentioning the kiss. Glinda wanted to talk about it, but she thought it'd be better to do that later, when they were alone and had time afterwards to repeat it over and over again.

They started to walk toward a small cafe located just a few blocks away from their dorm. After a few moments of silence, the blonde decided to initiate some light talk, and was happy when Elphaba relaxed and kept the conversation going.

Finally, they arrived at the cafe and Glinda noticed Valerie was already there, sitting in the back.

"Hi Fa… girls" Valerie corrected herself when she saw Glinda walking right beside Elphaba.

"Hi Val" Elphaba said, giving her a quick hug. "I brought Glinda with me, she wanted to get to know you better. After all, you didn't have that much time to talk yesterday" she finished, taking a sit next to Val. Glinda took the sit next to her immediately.

"Hi, it's really a pleasure" Glinda said extending her hand toward Val.

"Same here, I'm happy you could join us, Miss Upland" the other girl responded, taking Glinda's hand and shaking it. "I didn't know Elphaba had such a close friend" she then said, turning to look at the green girl.

Noticing Glinda's hurt look at hearing that, Elphaba answered quickly. "Well, I didn't stay long enough in the Emerald City to be able to tell you everything about Shiz and…" she turned toward Glinda, before continuing "Glinda and I had just had a fight before I left. So I didn't want to dwell on that too much. But, she is my best friend, Val. My only friend, actually" she finished laughing softly.

Glinda smiled at that. After listening to Elphaba, she understood why she hadn't been mentioned that much in the Emerald City. After all, she had pretty much broken Elphaba's heart before she had left, so she didn't blame her friend if the last thing she wanted to talk about those days was Glinda.

"Well, I'm feeling hurt now" Valerie said looking at Elphaba, putting a hand to her chest. "What do you mean, your only friend? Aren't we friends?" she said with a teasing smile.

"Fine, I guess you're right…" Elphaba said, returning Valerie's teasing smile "Glinda was my first real friend"

"Good. After all, Fae, you have to remembering there's always a first, but you have to be open to new things every step of the way" Valerie said in a low voice.

Glinda decided to ignore the hidden meaning that sentence could have and cleared her throat loudly, trying to break the intense look Valerie was giving Elphaba, and succeeding in it.

"So… what is it like to live in the Emerald City and work for the Wizard?" _And what gives you the right to give Elphaba a nickname?_

"Well" Valerie started, turning to look at Glinda "living in the city is amazing, I really like it. But sometimes I get tired of it; sometimes it'd be nice to live away from all that chaos. And working for the Wizard… that's an honor of course, but it can also be very hard"

"What do you mean?" Glinda asked.

"Well, I've talked with Fae about this before, and she trusts you. So I guess there's no harm on me telling you this, but in my opinion there're many things that need to be changed in the government. I mean, I think the wizard is sometimes misguided about what the right thing to do is"

"Misguided by rumors, believes?"

"By people" before continuing, the brunette turned to look at Elphaba, and when the green girl nodded, she continued, looking back at Glinda "Especially by one person… Morrible"

Glinda looked at Elphaba confused.

"But I thought she was trying to help you, Elphie"

"I know, my sweet, I thought so too. That's until I got to the Emerald City. Maybe that's why Madame Morrible didn't want me to meet Val. You see, when I got there, Madame showed me some things about the city and they way government was handled, that weren't completely true. For example, she showed me this part of the city, where Animals are treated well, and she said it was the Wizard's doing. But after talking to Val, I realized it was the opposite; that part in town I had seen, was actually one of the few ones in which the Wizard and his troops hadn't interfered at all. As Val says, I think there're some things happening in the government that are totally wrong and maybe the Wizard is being misled or doesn't know about them"

"And don't you have that kind of information?" Glinda asked, turning to look at Val.

"I wish, but it's not that easy. I have a high position in government right now, but I haven't been working there for too long. So, I don't wanna risk everything by going to the Wizard to tell him how he's been lied to and that he's been doing it all wrong. I wouldn't do that especially if the Wizard's favorite counselor, Morrible, would tell him right away that I'm lying."

Glinda nodded, understanding the predicament.

"Hopefully, Elphaba will be working with us soon, so I'll have an ally to fight against Morrible and make a difference in Oz. Anyway, changing the subject… I have to leave" Valerie said.

"To the Emerald City?" Glinda asked, trying not to sound too hopeful at the idea, but she noticed she had clearly failed when she saw Elphaba glaring at her.

_What?_ she mouthed, trying to look innocent.

"No" Valerie answered; she had been getting up and grabbing her cloak, so she didn't notice the stares being share between the roommates. "I have a meeting with Morrible. But I'll see you guys later, right? I mean, you are going to the Ball, right?"

"What Ball?" Glinda asked confused.

"There's some kind of Ball tonight to welcome me, or something like it. I'm pretty sure the Wizard forced Morrible to have it. I mean, he and I may not be best friends, but we get along pretty well and I like to think we are starting to bond. That would be helpful if I intend to make him see the truth someday. Anyway, I thought you knew…"

At that moment, the cafe's door burst open and Glinda saw Phanne and Shensen walking in. "Glinda! There you are!" they screamed.

"I guess we're just about to get all the information there is about tonight's Ball" Glinda said, after seeing her friends.

"Well, I better get going" Valerie said, and then, looking at the girls that were coming toward them, she gave Elphaba a teasing look "Enjoy the company, Fae"

Elphaba grimaced, but then she returned Val's teasing look with one of her own "You too, say hi to Morrible for me"

"Touche, Thropp" Valerie said smiling. "Oh, and considering that I don't know anyone around here and that it would suck to go alone to our little gathering tonight… would you be my date, Elphaba Thropp?" she then asked.

Glinda had been looking at Phanne and Shensen all along, trying to think of a way to scape before they got to her. But when she heard Val's last question she shifted instantly to look at Elphaba.

No! say No! N-O, No. She thought to herself, hoping Elphaba would hear her thoughts.

"Mmm, Ssuu, sure" Elphaba answered stuttering.

Oh no you didn't! Glinda thought, glaring at Elphaba.

"Oh, come on, you could try to sound more enthusiastic, Fae" Valerie said laughing. "Walk me out? We have to make some arrangements for tonight"

"Okay" Elphaba answered, getting up. "I'll be right back Glin"

"It was great to see you, Glinda" Valerie said, waving good bye to the blonde.

"You too" Glinda said between clenched teeth.

Right when Elphaba and Valerie were leaving, Shensen and Phanne approached Glinda. The blonde rolled her eyes when her friends bowed when they saw Valerie "Your Vizierness" they said before sitting down next to Glinda.

"Vizierness? Really?" the blonde asked them sounding annoyed "Is that even a word?"

"Who cares Glinda" Shensen answered looking toward Valerie "Was she walking with the green bean?"

"Her name is Elphaba. Please, refer to her properly" Glinda said "And yes, they are… friends" she finished, almost spitting the last word.

"Interesting…" Phanne answered "We can talk about that later… right now we have great news for you Glinda!"

"Really? Is it about tonight's Ball?" Glinda asked.

"You already knew about it? But the flyers announcing it were posted just a few moments ago… we wanted to surprise you" Phanne said sounding irritated.

"Well, we still have that other surprise to give her" Shensen said, patting Phanne's hand, trying to soothe her.

"Oh! You're right. Glinda, we arranged a meeting between you and Fiyero! That way you can make all the plans necessary for tonight's party"

"Why would you… when?" Glinda asked perplexed and angry. Why did they always have to interfere with everything?

But Phanne didn't need to answer because Fiyero had just stepped into the small cafe He started searching the room and, after seeing Glinda, started to walk toward her.

"Well, that's our cue to leave. By the way, you are welcome, dear" Shensen told Glinda. After that both girls got up and walked to the exit.

"Hi Glinda, are you alright? A friend told me you were looking for me about something very important. I went to your dorm and that's when one of the girls told me she had seen you minutes ago walking into this place. Is everything okay? Are you okay? Where is Elphaba? Is she okay?" he finished, sounding scared at this last question.

"Everyone is okay, Fiyero" Glinda said, a little bit exasperated. This day was getting worse and worse by the moment. "And Elphaba is right there" Glinda finished, pointing to a place close to the cafe's exit door, where Elphaba and Valerie were still talking.

"Why is she still here?"

"Who? The Vizier" Fiyero asked.

"Oh, yes. Sorry; I didn't realize I was speaking out loud" Glinda answered without taking her eyes off Elphaba and Valerie.

Fiyero looked at Glinda, analyzing her features. "Wait… are you, jealous?" he asked, sounding amused.

"No, I'm not!" Glinda said almost yelling. Realizing this, she continued, this time speaking softer "I'm not"

"Yes, yes you are" Fiyero said, grinning.

"Stop smiling at me like that" Glinda said. "Stop" she asked again when Fiyero's smile had gotten bigger.

"Okay, but you do know there's no reason for you to get jealous, right?" Fiyero asked sounding serious this time. "So…why were you looking for me? Is it because Elphaba is making you jealous, so you wanna do the same thing to her?" he finished teasing her again.

_Wait a second_… Glinda thought to herself. _That could actually work_. She then turned to look at Fiyero and saw him gulp at the determined look she was giving him.

"Well, there's a Ball tonight…"

"No, no way. I won't play into this. The last thing I want is Elphaba thinking that I'm still dating you…" At Glinda's angry look he continued "Okay, I know I told you I would let you pursue her, but that doesn't mean I want her to think that I'm not available if she ever…" at Glinda's now murdering look he finished "okay, fine. But let me clarify I was joking, this seems like a horrible idea. Besides…"

Before he could continue, they saw Elphaba approaching the table.

"Oh, hi Fiyero!" she said smiling at him.

"Hi Elphaba, how are you?"

"I'm great thanks. How is… the lion cub?" she almost whispered.

"He's great. If you want, we could go see him some time…"

"Yeah, that would be lovely, Fiyero" Glinda quickly said, without letting him finish. "Guess what, Elphie? Fiyero and I are going to the Ball together" she added with a small smirk.

Then, noticing Elphaba's confused look, she continued, feeling satisfied "Don't' you think that's great? Now we both have dates…" _yeah, two can play this game_.

"Wait, you have a date?" Fiyero asked Elphaba, sounding surprised.

"Not now, dear" Glinda said, ignoring his question and patting his hand condescendingly. But Elphaba decided to answer him.

"Yes, I'm going with Valerie" After seeing Fiyero's puzzled look, she clarified "as friends".

"Oh, Glinda and I are also going as friends" Fiyero said, grimacing in pain when he felt Glinda kicking him under the table. Elphaba failed to notice this because she had turned to look at the blonde.

"Really?" elphaba asked with an enquiring look to Glinda. "I thought you were still together. Did you… break up?"

"Well, kind of" The blonde answered, deciding not to give a complete answer "But that happened days ago; I thought I had told you. Anyway, we'll see you later, Elphie dear" she then stood up, grabbing Fiyero by the arm "We'll go shopping for a dress for me to wear tonight and then I'll see you at our room? We can get ready together"

"Yeah, that'd be nice" Elphaba said, still looking inquisitively at Glinda.

"Great, see you" and then she pulled Fiyero with her and almost pushed him into the street when they were leaving.

She didn't like this date thing that was going to happen between Elphie and Valerie. But Elphie had just said they were going as friends, right? JUST FRIENDS… and she had kissed Glinda this morning, not on purpose, but she had. Glinda remembered that smiling at herself. She knew that Elphaba still had strong feelings for her, and she would make sure they'd get back together that night at the Ball. She felt like she had no time to waste because, even if Elphaba said Valerie and her were only friends, she didn't wanna risk it.

Fiyero was just recovering from being pushed around before Glinda grabbed his arm again. "Come on, Fiyero. We have to find the perfect outfit for me. I have to look the best and you and I are going to make sure of it. We'll visit every mall and every store if we have to".

"Fine, but stop grabbing me like that" Fiyero said pulling away from Glinda as much as possible and walking fast to catch up with her. How she was managing to walk this fast, was beyond his understanding.

"Come on, hurry up" she said.

"I am. But you have to remember you just kicked me back there, hard by the way, and it still kind of hurts" he said.

Glinda only replied by glaring at him, so he just raised his hands in surrender "Fine, don't apologize, I won't say anymore" after a few moments, he added "You know what? At first I thought it was funny, but I'm starting to hate Jealous Glinda"

"Well, too bad, because you have a date with her tonight" and it better go as planned, Glinda thought to herself. Because tonight, I get my Elphie back and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.


	15. The Ball

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews :) I tried to update faster this time. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

"Glin, are you ready yet?" Elphaba asked Glinda, while waiting for the blonde to get out of the bathroom. She hadn't seen her all day, so she didn't know the dress Glinda had ended up buying for the evening.

"Yes, just five more minutes, Elphie" Glinda answered. It was the same reply she had given Elphaba at least five times during the last hour.

"Fine, but this time, if you don't come out in five minutes, I'll leave without you"

"No you won't"

Elphaba just sighed. Maybe Glinda knew her too well. "Fine, but please hurry; we should have been there a while ago. I'm sure Fiyero is already waiting for you"

"Let him wait"

Seeing that there was no way she'd win against Glinda this time, Elphaba had no other choice but to sit on her bed and wait. _What's taking her so long?_ She thought to herself.

At that moment, the bathroom door opened and Glinda came out, wearing a dark green dress that suited her figure perfectly. Her hair was up with some curls falling around her face and every curl seemed to shine against the light. Elphaba felt like she had stopped breathing at the moment, but soon recovered.

"How do I look?" Glinda asked with a hopeful look.

"Oz, Glin. You look beautiful beyond words"

Glinda blushed deeply, that's the kind of answer she had been hoping for. "Do you really mean it, Elphie?" she asked, wanting to make sure Elphaba approved, after all she had dressed up tonight just for her Elphie

"Yes, my sweet. Of course I do" Elphaba answered, blushing and giving Glinda a tender smile.

It was at that moment that Glinda realized Elphaba wasn't wearing her usual frock, instead she wore a beautiful black sleeveless dress. The dress also fitted the green girl's figure, showing curves that Elphaba hadn't shown before. Her hair was flowing around her shoulders and it looked like silk, precious silk.

"Elphie, you look beautiful" Glinda said, admiring her friend. "Breathtaking"

"Thank you, Glin." Elphaba replied, walking toward the blonde and offering Glinda her arm. "Shall we? Our dates must be waiting for us"

"Sure, let's go" the blond answered, taking Elphaba's arm and feeling sad that she couldn't be her date tonight. 

On the way to the Ball, Glinda noticed how Elphaba would look at her every once in a while. It seemed like she couldn't take her eyes off Glinda; that's when the blonde realized that every effort she had made to look her best tonight had been worth it.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Elphaba cleared her throat softly.

"So, did you and Fiyero really brake up?"

Glinda didn't know how to answer that. She knew that she had planned to make Elphaba jealous, but was that really the best course of action?

"We… it's complicated, Elphie"

At Elphaba's inquiring look, the blonde continued. "Well, we did break up a few days ago. Right after you came back from the Emerald City. But he's been trying to get back together with me" _Yeah, that was good enough_, the blonde thought. It wasn't completely true, but it would show Elphaba that she was available at the moment, although someone else wanted her too.

"Oh… I see. Why did you break up?"

Glinda decided to be completely honest this time "Because of you. I… what we had Elphie, was especial to me. And I couldn't stay with Fiyero because of it"

"You shouldn't have done that" Elphaba said, looking away "I know that in the end, you only wanted to be with him. He's all you ever dreamed of, Glin. Isn't him?"

"What if… what if I changed my mind? What if I don't want that dream anymore? What if I have another dream now? A dream that you helped me create"

"All I know for sure, my sweet, is that you should do what makes you happy. And you should fight for that happiness"

"And all I know, Elphie, is that I can only imagine myself being happy with you by my side" Glinda said, realizing they had stopped walking while this conversation took place.

"I feel the same way, my sweet" Elphaba said, raising a hand to Glinda's cheek and caressing it softly. Glinda closed her eyes at the touch.

"Glin, I've been meaning to ask you something. Would you…"

But before Elphaba had any chance to continue, a sudden yell interrupted them.

"Fabala! Glinda! Wait for us!"

Glinda opened her eyes to glare at the person that had interrupted them. It was Nessa, with Bik behind her, of course.

_Be nice_ Glinda thought to herself. She's Elphie's sister after all, and you'll make things easier for both of you if her sister likes you.

"Hi Nessa" Elphaba answered, and Glinda smiled realizing by the tone in her voice that Elphaba had hated the interruption too.

"Hello girls. Glinda, you look lovely" Nessa said and then, after looking closely at Elphaba, she added "Oh, and you also look amazing, Fabala. Is that mom's dress?"

"Yes, yes it is" Elphaba answered shyly.

"Well, it looks great on you. Your mom would have been extremely proud at seeing you tonight looking so beautiful in it" Glinda said, giving Elphaba a tender look.

Elphaba smiled, before taking the blonde's hand in her own. "Thanks, my sweet"

"She's right, Elphaba. Mom would have been proud"

"Thanks Nessie, you look beautiful yourself"

"She does, doesn't she?" a voice behind Nessa said, and the three girls turned to look at Bok.

"Is Bik your date, Nessa?"

"Yes, she accepted my invitation" Bok replied with a small smile.

"I'm sure you'll both have a marvelous time" the blonde answered smiling at the couple.

"Yes, but you better act as a gentleman, Bok"

"Of course, Elphie" Bok said gulping.

"You better, or I'll…" But before Elphaba continued, Glinda decided to interfere. She didn't want Elphaba terrorizing her sister's date, after all.

"We better get going. I'm sure the Ball has already started"

"Yes, I think you're right" Nessa added, looking thankful at the way Glinda had interfered.

"Fine, let's go" Elphaba said, before starting to walk. Glinda smiled when Elphaba didn't let go of her hand until they arrived to the Ozdust.

"Remember what happened the last time we were here together, Elphie?" Glinda asked, while they waited in line to get in.

"Mmm, I don't think I've ever been here before. And I know I wouldn't forget something like that"

"You mean green thing" glinda said, poking Elphaba and making her laugh.

"Okay, okay. I'm starting to remember"

"You better. You know, I always regretted the fact that we didn't dance together that much on that occasion. So, we better make sure that doesn't happen tonight"

"I'll make sure she saves a dance for you, Glinda" a voice behind them said. Both girls turned around and saw Valerie and Fiyero approaching them.

"We've been waiting for you for what seems like ages" Fiyero said.

"Well, you know Glinda" Elphaba answered and Fiyero chuckled.

"Hey!" Glinda complained, poking Elphaba again. "It was worth it. You said I look pretty, didn't you"

"You always look pretty, my sweet. But you look radiant tonight"

"She's right, Glinda, you look pretty" Valerie suddenly interfered. She then turned to look at Elphaba "And you Elphaba look completely gorgeous"

"Thanks, Val" Elphaba answered timidly "You look beautiful yourself"

Glinda realized that Elphaba was right. Valerie looked outstanding in a green dress (the color was a bit lighter than hers). And she was wearing her hair back in such an elegant way that made her look classy and mature.

"Don't I look pretty?" Fiyero asked looking at the girls surrounding him.

"Yes Fiyero, you look very handsome" Elphaba answered while Glinda just rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Elphie" Fiyero said beaming, which made Glinda roll her eyes again.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, guys. But I need to talk to Fae alone for a few minutes. We'll see you inside, okay?" Valerie said, taking Elphaba's free hand (the one that wasn't pressed against Glinda).

"Oh, okay" Glinda said, looking disappointed.

"It's okay, my sweet" Elphaba said, letting go of Glinda's hand slowly "I'll see you inside" and after saying that she walked away with Val.

"Come one, Glin" Fiyero said, offering the blonde his arm, which she accepted. "Here, I got you this" he added, putting a small bracelet around Glinda's wrist.

"Thanks" Glinda replied, smiling at Fiyero. "It's wonderful"

"I saw all the guys buying these for their dates when we were shopping earlier. I really don't know what they mean, but I knew I had to get you one"

"Thanks, Fiyero. That was very thoughtful. And remember that we have to be in full _make Elphie jealous mode_ tonight, okay?"

"Okay Glin" Fiyero replied, taking a deep breath "I still don't know if that's the best idea. But I'll help you"

"Thanks" Glinda said, before kissing Fiyero's cheek. She hadn't noticed Elphaba walking back toward them, so she failed to see the sadness written all over the green girl's face when she witnessed the kiss. 

Once inside, Glinda and Fiyero greeted a lot of people before finally making their way to the dance floor.

"Do you wanna dance?" Fiyero asked.

"No, it's okay. I want to find Elphie first"

Fiyero nodded and they started walking around looking for the green girl. After several minutes, Glinda was finally able to see Elphaba standing in one of the corners, talking to Val. It looked like they were talking intently about something and, by the way Elphaba was acting (she was furrowing her brow and biting her nails) it seemed like they were talking about something of great importance. Val was giving Elphaba a pleading look that the other girl returned with a look of helplessness.

"Elphie!" Glinda yelled, moving toward her friend quickly, dragging Fiyero with her.

"Hi, Glinda" Elphaba said coldly.

"I'll go get something to drink. Do you girls want anything?" Fiyero asked.

"No, I'm fine" Glinda said, without taking her eyes off Elphaba, trying to understand what had happened to change the other girl's mood so quickly.

"I don't want anything, Fiyero. Thanks" Elphaba said, looking away from Glinda.

"I'll go with you" Valerie announced, but before leaving she turned to look at Elphaba "Just think about it, Fae. Okay?" she said.

Elphaba nodded and smiled kindly to her "I will, I promise"

Valerie smiled back and then she and Fiyero left.

"What do you have to think about, Elphie? And why did your new friend feel like she needed to talk to you in private?"

"She told me about the meeting she and Morrible had this afternoon"

"Well, she didn't need to take you away just to do that…"

"Well, maybe she sensed that you and Fiyero wanted to be alone"

"What do you mean?"

"I saw you kissing him"

"Kissing… oh, you mean when I kissed his cheek? I was only..."

"Look, I don't want to know Glinda. I'm glad things are working out between you two" then, looking at the bracelet Fiyero had given her, she continued "He even got you the bracelet…"

"What are you…" but before Glinda could say anything else, Elphaba interrupted her.

"I, I need some space right now to think about… things. I'll see you later" And with that she walked away from the blonde.

Glinda suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Fiyero and Valerie next to her.

"Where did Elphaba go?" the brunette asked.

"I don't know"

"Great" Valerie said sounding irritated "If you see her, please tell her that we need to talk urgently" and then she walked away too.

"What's going on, Glin?" Fiyero asked

"I really don't know, Fiyero. Elphie just… and then she looked at my bracelet and… Wait, you said you didn't know what the bracelet meant, right? Are you absolutely sure it has some kind of meaning?"

"Well, I guess so. As I said, I only saw several guys buying them for their dates"

Looking around, Glinda realized that several girls were wearing the piece of jewelry. When she saw a girl sitting on a chair close to her, wearing it, she decided to just ask.

"Excuse me, dear" she said, approaching the girl.

"Oh, Hi Miss Upland" the girl answered, smiling at the blonde.

"It's a great party, isn't it?" Glinda continued "And I noticed we are both wearing the same kind of bracelet"

"Oh! Yes, isn't that wonderful?" the other girl said looking at her own bracelet "the idea of one's heart belonging to someone else is so romantic, don't you think?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't fully understand. You see, I was out all day and now I don't know anything about the bracelet everyone seems to be wearing"

"Oh! Well, someone came up with the idea of it just this morning, I think. The whole concept is that if someone buys you this bracelet it's because they want you to be theirs forever and if you accept it, you accept that offering and promise to give your heart and everything you are to them"

"Oh, I see. Thanks dear" Glinda said, walking away from her informant in some kind of a daze. This charade had gone too far. She had wanted Elphie to feel jealous, but now the green girl thought that Glinda and Fiyero were together and that she wanted to stay with Fiyero forever.

"Well, what does it mean?" Fiyero asked when Glinda approached him again.

"Fiyero, I'm losing her. We need to" But before the blonde could finish, the music around them stopped and they both turned around to see Elphaba standing on the main stage.

"Good night, everyone. Sorry for interrupting the music. But both Madame Morrible and our Grand Vizier, asked me to perform a song for all of you tonight in honor of Valerie's visit. I must say I had planned on singing something, but I changed my mind at the last moment. So I hope you like the song I chose at the end" Elphaba then grabbed a microphone placed in front of her and someone started playing a piano behind her.

Elphaba's eyes started scanning the room and they locked with Glinda's before she started singing.

_If I don't say this now I will surely break_  
><em>As I'm leaving the one I want to take<em>  
><em>Forgive the urgency but hurry up and wait<em>  
><em>My heart has started to separate<em>

_Oh, oh_  
><em>Be my baby<em>  
><em>Ohhhhh<em>  
><em>Oh, oh<em>  
><em>Be my baby<em>  
><em>I'll look after you<em>

While the music kept playing and Elphaba sang, Glinda found herself walking closer to the stage and to the green girl.

_There now, steady love, so few come and don't go_  
><em>Will you won't you, be the one I'll always know<em>  
><em>When I'm losing my control, the city spins around<em>  
><em>You're the only one who knows, you slow it down<em>

_Oh, oh_  
><em>Be my baby<em>  
><em>Ohhhhhh<em>  
><em>Oh, oh<em>  
><em>Be my Baby<em>  
><em>I'll look after you<em>  
><em>And I'll look after you<em>

_It's always have and never hold_  
><em>Cause You've begun to feel like home<em>  
><em>What's mine is yours to leave or take<em>  
><em>What's mine is yours to make your own<em>

_Oh, oh_  
><em>Be my baby<em>  
><em>Ohhhhh<em>  
><em>Oh, oh<em>  
><em>Be my baby<em>  
><em>I'll look after you<em>

The moment the song ended, everyone started cheering.

Glinda's eyes filled with tears; Elphaba's voice had sounded beyond beautiful.

While everyone returned to dance, Elphaba got off the stage and started to walk toward the blonde.

"Glinda… I…" but before anything else was said, Glinda felt someone grabbing her by the shoulders and turning her around, it was Fiyero.

Before Glinda's mind could process anything, Fiyero was kissing her and, even though she pulled away fast, it hadn't been fast enough. "Fiyero, what?"

"I saw how she sang to Val, you were right about your suspicions. If that kiss doesn't make her jealous, I don't know what else will" Fiyero whispered to Glinda while she pulled away.

"Fae, that song was utterly beautiful" Valerie suddenly said. It appeared like she had been standing behind Glinda this whole time.

Glinda turned to look at Elphaba and felt her heart break when she saw her looking completely devastated.

"I… thanks Val" Elphaba said toward Valerie, trying to hide the sadness in her voice. But Glinda felt it.

Elphaba then turned to look at her and Fiyero "and I'm happy for you two".

"Elphie…" Glinda said shaking her head with a look of despair in her eyes. This couldn't be happening, Elphaba had just sang so beautifully to her… but now she was standing in front of Glinda, completely devastated because she thought the blonde didn't love her back…

"Fae, I'm sorry to interrupt you and your friends, but we have no time left. I really need an answer from you; Morrible is going up to the stage. It's now or never, come on"

Glinda had no idea what Valerie was talking about, but she could see the uncertainty in Elphaba's eyes.

"Val, I don't…"

"Why? What's stopping you? What do you have to lose?"

"N-nothing" Elphaba said, while taking a last look at Glinda. "You're right, I'll do it"

"Great" Valerie said beaming "Come on, we have no time to waste" she said, before taking Elphaba's hand and pulling her toward the stage. Morrible was already taking the microphone.

"Well, my dear students. It has really been a memorable night" she said, capturing everyone's attention. "Now that the Ball is over, you should"

"No, wait Madame!" Valerie yelled while approaching the headmistress with Elphaba right next to her. "I would like to say something before you declare the Ball is officially over"

"Oh, of course dear" Morrible said, sounding annoyed.

"Hello. I want to thank you all for coming here tonight to this celebration organized by Madame Morrible because of my arrival to Shiz" Everyone in the room responded to Valerie's words by clapping at her. "As you know, I've been working for the Wizard for some time now and it's in moments like this when I realize all our effort is worth it, because all our work is done for you to live in a better Oz in the future" Everyone started clapping and cheering again. "And so, I thank you again for coming and for having welcomed me with open arms. Now that that's been said" Valerie continued, smiling at the crowd "I have some news for you. I won't be leaving Shiz anytime soon; I decided to stay here for a while to teach some of the Magic courses" Cheers erupted even louder after that "There's so much talent in Shiz… that's why I think I should stay to help Madame Morrible nurture it, at least for a while. But, to be honest, I have a selfish reason to stay here too. You see, while being at Shiz, I've found someone very special, someone that has captivated me in every possible way, someone that I've learned to love. And that someone is the girl standing next to me right now" Valerie said and when she stopped this time, the crowd didn't cheer at what had been said. There was only complete silence.

"Elphaba Thropp is an amazing person and a very talented student. With magic abilities that I'm sure will change Oz for the better someday. And I wanted to share the way I feel about her with all of you tonight. That is, if she takes me" Valerie then said, turning to look at the green girl. "Would you take me, Elphaba?" she asked loudly enough for everyone to hear. After that she made a bracelet just like Glinda's appear on her hand, out of nowhere, and offered it to Elphaba.

Glinda felt her heart stop at that moment. She had been listening to all the things Valerie was saying, hoping it was a nightmare. But it wasn't. And now, the only person she could ever love was standing right in front of her, about to accept to be someone else's in front of everyone at Shiz.

"Of course" Elphaba replied, smiling at Val. And, with a small hand movement, she made the bracelet disappear from Valerie's hand before it magically appeared on her own wrist. After seeing that, everyone in the dance floor started cheering.

Elphaba and Valerie turned to look at the crowd, smiling at them. Clearly satisfied with the way everything had turned out.

Yes, everyone cheered, expect for two people. A blonde girl who was crying softly in one of the front rows, and an old woman standing in one of the stage's corners, clearly displeased with the way things had ended tonight. Things weren't going as Morrible had planned them, but she was going to make sure they returned to the way they were supposed to be, even if drastic measures needed to be taken.

* * *

><p>Lyrics: "I'll look after you" by The Fray<p> 


	16. Just choose

A/N: First of all, I'm really really sorry for taking so long to update. I promise I'll update faster next time. I hope you forgive me guys, sorry.

Second, thank you all very much for the reviews! They were amazing and really inspired me to write as soon as I could. Thanks again :)

* * *

><p>While the cheering kept going, Madame Morrible started to look around, trying to come up with ideas… with a plan to stop this nonsense.<p>

Valerie had been starting to show resistance to some of the things that Madame suggested to the Wizard; and although his Ozness continued siding with her, lately she could see him doubting her advice, always saying something like "maybe another opinion is needed, I might have to talk to Valerie, she can help us with her magic after all".

The headmistress had her own magic abilities, but they weren't as strong as Valerie's (which was painful to admit). And because of that and the influence Valerie was starting to gain in government, she had decided long ago to do something… maybe take her powers away, maybe make her disappear somehow, but none of those things were subtle enough, not for someone as noticeable as The Grand Vizier. So she had to find another way…. And that's when destiny rewarded her with Elphaba, naïve, powerful Elphaba.

Once Morrible saw the power the green girl had, which she realized could be even bigger than Valerie's, she knew she had found her secret weapon against the current Grand Vizier. She would teach Elphaba, learn to handle her, and then they would get rid of all the obstacles Madame had in front of her to gain the power in government she had always wanted.

So, when she heard that Elphaba and Valerie had met in the Emerald City and seemed to get along, she got worried. But now that she saw them being announced as a couple, she was fuming. Elphaba was supposed to be her secret weapon against Valerie and the Wizard and she had to regain control over this situation now.

The Headmistress started to think about the weaknesses these two girls could have… family, friends… and that's when Morrible spotted a young blonde girl in the front row. A girl who wasn't clapping like everyone else and that was actually crying, wearing a painful look that went straight to… Elphaba. Looking at her once protégé, Morrible noticed that she was also looking directly at the blonde, her eyes full of sadness and defeat.

The new couple had been announced only seconds ago, but that had been all the time it took Morrible to worry and then, after seeing the looks Miss Thropp and Miss Upland were sharing, to realize what had been in front of her the whole time. Taken one last look at Glinda's face full of tears, only one more thought crossed Morrible's mind… "Bingo"

"Thanks everybody, so now…" Valerie had started saying but she was quickly interrupted.

"That was great news, dear" Morrible suddenly said, surprising the witches. Then she continued, approaching them "but, you can't just leave us like that. You have just shared a very intimate and precious moment with us" she turned to look at the rest of the students, looking directly at Glinda for a brief second before continuing "you should at least indulge us with a kiss, a tender sign of the beginning of this beautiful relationship…"

"Yeah, kiss, kiss" some students started chanting.

Elphaba looked around, panicking. There were some students who stayed silent, but there were some others, both male and female, who kept asking them to kiss. And there was one person, cleaning her face from the tears that had fallen, whose blue eyes were sending daggers at Elphaba, delivering a message that clearly said "don't you dare".

"Kiss, kiss" the chanting continued, getting louder and louder.

"Elphaba" Valerie whispered to the green girl, breaking the look she was sharing with the blonde student standing in the front row.

"Now what?" Elphaba asked turning to look at Valerie.

"Well…" Valerie started saying, but after seeing Morrible smirking behind them and hearing the _kiss, kiss_ chant getting even louder, she made a decision for both of them.

"Look, I think" Elphaba started whispering again, but was cut off by Valerie's lips pressing on her own. Valerie wasn't being forceful but she kept a hand on Elphaba's cheek to keep her from retreating.

Elphaba was completely surprised, but after sensing that Valerie's hand wasn't going to let her go, and feeling the other girl's lips moving against her own, she found herself kissing Valerie back.

The moment Valerie started kissing Elphaba, all Glinda wanted to do was launch herself at them, break them apart, and then hit Valerie over and over again. But the moment she saw Elphaba starting to kiss the other girl back, all those instincts went away and she only felt her heart break into pieces. She had to leave that place before she lost herself completely.

So turning around she walked quickly toward the Ballroom's exit, pushing people out of her way in the process. She could hear Fiyero yelling after her, asking her to stop, but she didn't, and once she reached the door she started running toward her room.

* * *

><p>Glinda got home a few minutes later, carrying her shoes in one hand. She had taken them off after running for a couple of minutes, because she had almost fallen twice.<p>

She had only wanted to be home, to forget about everything that had happened tonight and feel safe again, but now that she was here, she found out that nothing really changed. She still didn't have her Elphie to catch her, and soothe her fears… was she even _her_ Elphie anymore? Glinda started to cry again at that thought.

How had things turned out this way? What had she done to deserve this?

Oz, she had to stop lying to herself, she knew, she knew what she had done. She had deserted Elphie; in a moment of weakness and fear she had decided she couldn't be with the one person she loved because of what her family, her friends, and society expected from her. She had broken Elphaba's heart, but later she had realized she had made a terrible mistake, didn't she deserve a second chance because of that? Didn't she?

Glinda then started hearing voices down the hall. It seemed the Ball was officially over and people were returning to rest.

Soon Elphaba would be back, but Glinda felt she wasn't ready to face her, not yet. But luck wasn't on her side that night, because as soon as she had fought that, the door was being unlocked.

Glinda decided she had to hide, and fast. So she quickly walked toward her bed and crawled under it.

"Good night Elphaba" Glinda heard a voice calling from the hallway.

"Good night" she heard Elphaba call back, before closing the door behind her.

"Glinda?" Elphaba asked looking around and then walking into the bathroom, which she found empty.

"Great, just great" Elphaba said, while she sat on her bed, looking defeated.

"Goodnight Elphaba, sweet dreams" someone else yelled again from the hallway.

"Good night" Elphaba yelled back, sounding annoyed.

"So, now you like her?" Glinda thought to herself, annoyed at how fake people could be.

"So, now you like me, ha?" Elphaba said out loud.

Hearing her roommate again, brought Glinda's attention back to her. She didn't know what to do, she wanted to confront Elphaba, what had she been thinking of? What was going on between her and Valerie? But at the same time, she was afraid to hear the answer to those questions. What if Elphaba didn't love her anymore? She couldn't live with that.

While wondering if she should show herself to Elphaba or not, Glinda heard a knock on the door.

"Yes, good night" Elphaba yelled again, sounding irritated.

"Elphaba, it's me" Valerie said from the other side of the door.

Quickly, Elphaba got up and went to open it.

"Val, is everything okay?" she asked standing in the doorway.

"Yes, everything is fine. I just need to talk to you for a moment. May I come in? If Glinda's here, we can go to my…"

"No, she isn't back yet" Elphaba said sounding worried. "Come in"

"Thanks"

From her hiding place, Glinda could see almost everything that was happening on the other side of the room. So she saw Valerie walking in while Elphaba closed the door once again.

"Did you see Glinda out there?" Elphaba asked with a look of concern.

"No, sorry Fae. I didn't see her"

Elphaba just nodded and sat on her bed. Valerie followed and, to Glinda's distaste, sat next to Elphaba.

"Fae, I came to talk to you about what happened tonight"

"It went well, didn't it?" Elphaba asked with a small smile on her lips.

"It went perfect" Valerie said, smiling too. "Although … I think Morrible suspects something, actually I'm sure she does".

"I know" Elphaba said, looking away from Valerie. "I saw it in her eyes, when she said that we should kiss to signal the beginning of our relationship. She was testing us"

"That's right, she was" Valerie nodded. "She's worried … I could sense it too. She might try to do something soon, to separate us somehow; we can't let that happen".

"I know Val, and you were right about her. But, as I said earlier, I'm with you in this, I'm not backing out and she won't win this… whatever this is"

"Yes, we have to find out what her plans were… are, to react accordingly. But that was not the only thing I came to talk to you about"

"What is it?" Elphaba asked worried again

"It's not something you should worry about, Fae. It's not something bad; at least, I hope you don't see it as something bad"

"Oh" Elphaba said relieved, and then glancing at the door continued "so, do you mind if we talk about this later? I think I should go looking for Glinda, she should be back by now"

"I would like to talk to you about this now, Elphaba, please. It's not something bad but it's important. Besides, Glinda is a big girl and she's probably with Fiyero right now."

After hearing that, Glinda started getting furious again, and she fought every fiber of her being not to jump out and punch Valerie like she had wanted to do earlier because now she wanted to hear what the brunette had to tell Elphaba, especially if it seemed confidential.

"Yeah, maybe…" Elphaba said glancing at Glinda's bed this time, not sounding too convinced "I guess we can wait a bit longer. What do you wanna talk about?" she finished looking back at Valerie.

"Elphaba" the brunette said, taking Elphaba's hand in her own "We… we kissed tonight"

"Yes, I…"

"Wait, let me finish" Valerie insisted "We kissed. I… I started it because we couldn't back out, not after our plan went into action. We made the announcement, everyone accepted the situation and we gained our public with our little magic trick; it was working, all of it, so we couldn't just fall into Morrible's trap. But I have to admit that I got carried away because at first…. At first I had decided I would just give you a quick peck on the lips, but then, when the moment came… I, I couldn't pull away, so I kept kissing you"

"I know, I felt it" Elphaba said, looking away from Val while Glinda kept restraining herself to just leap out and kill Valerie right there and then. She couldn't, she was just starting to understand what had really happened tonight.

"I kept kissing you, but you weren't responding, so after a few seconds I had decided to just give up and pull away… but then, you kissed me back"

"I know Val, I…"

"Elphaba, I felt something right then. Didn't you? That kiss wasn't fake and it went past the point to prove Morrible wrong. It was real, wasn't it?"

"Valerie, I don't… I don't really know. Everything happened so fast, I really didn't know what was happening anymore"

"Look, I know we've been through a lot tonight, but I just needed to get this of my chest. And I wanted to tell you that the possibility is out there. I realized today that I feel something deeper for you and, after what happened tonight, I think that you might feel it too."

"Val, this is… I don't know…" Elphaba mumbled, looking unconsciously toward Glinda's bed.

"Is it, is it because of her?" Valerie asked softly after noticing Elphaba's reaction.

"I don't know what you…"

"Oh, come on, Fae. I've gotten to know you… and there're some things that are just obvious once you really look at them. Look, I don't know what happened between you and Glinda, I'm only almost sure that you went to the Emerald City after something went wrong between you two"

"Val, I don't know how I feel anymore; it's true, I have feelings for Glinda, but seeing her tonight with Fiyero and feeling rejected again brought painful memories back to me. I really got hurt Val, and I'm afraid it'll happen again if I let myself love Glinda the way I want.

I never told her this, but it was extremely difficult for me to let her in. All my life I had been laughed at and people rejected me and felt disgusted by me, but then Glinda came and it was different, too different, too good to be true. And then our friendship went even further and for a moment I was scared, scared that it was all a lie, a joke. And when I got rejected again after I had accepted Glinda into my heart and loved her with everything I had, I felt devastated, totally devastated. That's why I ran away to the Emerald City"

Hiding under the bed, Glinda couldn't believe what she was hearing, she felt tears coming down again because even though she knew she had hurt Elphie, she hadn't realized the magnitude of the pain her actions had caused.

"Elphaba" Valerie said, cleaning a tear that had started falling down Elphaba's cheek "I don't know everything that happened between you two. But I do know that sometimes we get hurt when we let people in, but that doesn't mean that you have to shut down yourself completely. If you wanna talk about what happened"

"No, I'd rather not" Elphaba interrupted the brunette.

"Okay, we won't. But you have to let things go at some point. I'm telling you how I feel and I, as I said, I think you feel the same way about me. I won't push you into anything but I just want to make sure you know the option is out there, and I'm willing to give it a chance if you are, okay?"

Elphaba nodded "This is just so confusing, I don't even understand how or why you would feel this way about me. Although I guess that deep down I knew there was something starting to form between us, but it was easier to ignore it"

"Yes, I guess that's true. But maybe it's time we stop ignoring it and accept it for what it is… just think about it, okay?"

Elphaba nodded "I… I will"

"Good, now I better get going. I have a letter to send to the Wizard as soon as possible because I'm sure Morrible is writing one of her own and I need mine to get to the Emerald City first. We'll talk tomorrow, okay? And you can tell me what you thought, no pressure"

"Okay"

"Goodnight, Fae" Valerie said and gave Elphaba a quick kiss on the lips before leaving the room.

Glinda felt so furious at the moment, was Elphaba really considering staying with Valerie? After all they had gone through?

The moment Valerie left, Elphaba got up, ready to go look for her roommate, but stopped abruptly when Glinda's voice came from behind her.

"Finally, I thought your girlfriend would never leave" the blonde said irritated.

"Glinda?" Elphaba asked surprised, turning around to see Glinda coming out from under her bed. "What? What where you …"

"I was hiding from you, okay? I didn't want to see you after the Ball so when I heard you come into the room, I decided to hide. I never expected I would end up listening to your girlfriend's love confession"

"What? So you hid under there and decided to spy on me?"

"Oh, come on. It's my room, I can be wherever I want; it's not my fault that you happen to be having your one on one with your girlfriend"

"Glinda, you are being unreasonable, and Val is not my girlfriend"

"Well, considering everything that was said and DONE at the Ball, I thought she was. And the conversation you just had confirmed it"

"Glinda you don't…"

"I heard everything Elphaba, and I don't remember you saying that you weren't interested in her. Are you?"

"Glinda, that's… that's not of your business"

"Like hell it is"

"Really, and why is that? You have Fiyero, don't you?"

"Oh, come on Elphaba. I told you we had broken up"

"But you were with him at the Ball tonight!"

"He told you we were going us friends, didn´t he?"

"But you kissed" Elphaba said, starting to sound irritated too.

"That… that was a misunderstanding, it wasn't real"

"Really?" Elphaba asked with a mocking tone "It seemed pretty real to me"

"Well, it wasn't" Glinda answered yelling "Maybe you were too caught up with your girlfriend and the song you had just sang for her to notice anything else"

"She's not my! Aarghhh, you are so frustrating! And that song wasn't for her, it was for you!" The moment Elphaba said that she immediately looked down, she hadn't meant to admit that last part.

"What, what did you say?"

"Nothing"

"Oh no, don't you dare Thropp! How can you say you sang to me when minutes later you were kissing someone else!"

"Look, you have no right to yell or be angry at me"

"Of course I do! I loved you and you.."

"What? I did nothing wrong! You broke my heart and I still came back to take care of you, accepting that we could only be friends. But then… you made me believe that you wanted to be something more than that, and that you were ready for it. So I took one last chance, and decided to sing to you in front of everyone to tell you that I loved you more than anything, but that only ended up with me having to see you and your boyfriend making out.

Don't you dare tell me I did something wrong, Glinda"

"Oh yeah, and the moment you see something you don't like you have to go and jump into someone else's arms?" Okay, Glinda knew that she wasn't being completely reasonable right now… it wasn't that Elphaba had seen something she didn't like, Fiyero had kissed her after all, even if it was unintentionally. And she had broken up with Elphaba before because of him, so it made sense for the green girl to feel betrayed… but Glinda couldn't give in right now, she was too angry and hurt to accept she wasn't being totally rational.

"And by the way, I only took Fiyero to make you jealous, that's also why he kissed me. So it's all your fault, if you hadn't decided to go to the Ball with your precious _Val _in the beginning, none of this would have happened!"

"What? Now you are just being stupid"

"So is that it? You think I'm stupid? Is that why I'm not good enough for you? Well, you are, you are… green!" Glinda didn't know where that had come from. She loved Elphaba's skin, and had found it entrancing since the first time she saw it, but right now it was like if someone else was talking on her behalf… maybe it was the part of Galinda that had stayed with her, waiting to come back.

Elphaba looked hurt, but replied calmly "Glinda, let's stop before we keep saying hurtful things, okay?"

"No, I want to put everything out in the open once and for all. Why didn't you tell me how hurt you were when you left to the Emerald City? I could have…"

"What did you want me to say? That you were the first person I had ever let in, the first person who I truly loved and that when I decided to love you with all of me I was terrified you would soon see how wrong I was for you? But then you said that wouldn't happen… only for it to actually occur days later. I was devastated Glinda, completely devastated"

"Elphie, I didn't know…" Glinda started saying, remembering how things had ended before Elphaba had left. But then she thought about the Emerald City and then Valerie and then tonight and how Elphaba had kissed someone else… and her anger and frustration came back.

"I apologized, Elphaba. And I'll do it again, if that's what you need. But that doesn't give you the right to say you love me and then go and kiss someone else. Do you even love me anymore? Do you love her?"

"I… I honestly don't know anymore, Glinda. I'm very confused right now. Up until a few minutes ago I didn't how Valerie felt, or if you felt the same way I still felt about you…"

That hadn't been the answer Glinda had wanted to hear.

"Well, then let's make it easier for you, Elphaba. You can decide now; you have all the facts, so you can make your choice"

"What?" Elphaba asked surprised "You can't really expect me to…"

"Choose right now? Yes, I expect you to. You have two options, you either stay with me and we love each other forever… because I want you, and I want to stay with you for as long as I live, and we announce our relationship to the rest of Shiz. Or, you stay with Valerie and our relationship ends; we part ways and stay that way"

"Glinda, you can't be serious. And it's not that easy… I can't just… Look I didn't tell you earlier because it all happened too fast, but what Val and I did today was for a reason. We had to, Morrible was trying to…"

"Look, I don't care about Morrible, Elphaba. And to me it's simple, you have to choose, don't you love me?"

"I do" Elphaba said with no hesitation. "But there are things bigger than us happening right now Glinda, and I can't just tell the rest of Shiz that all that happened tonight wasn't true. As I said, there are things happening around us that have to be stopped, and whether you like to believe it or not, what Val and I did today was for a reason."

"So the kiss was a lie? Because I heard her saying that she felt something else when she kissed you, something real. Did you feel that too?"

"I…"

"And be honest with me, Elphaba"

"I did, okay? At least I think I did. Valerie helped me so much Glinda…"

That was it, that answer took all the reason Glinda had left in her and she just snapped.

"Well, fine! Then I guess the choice is made, isn't it?" she said yelling at Elphaba and stepping closer to her. "You can't choose me and you felt something for YOUR VAL, so maybe you should be with her!" Glinda didn't know where all of that was coming from, maybe she wanted to push Elphaba to the edge, to make her realize that she was serious.

"What? Glinda, you can't be serious! I… I love you, I can't agree with your terms because I just can't hurt Val like that; I can't just stop seeing her and I can't ruin our plan just because"

"Just because of me?"

"Just because you are being totally unreasonable!"

"Fine! I'm unreasonable, I'm completely wrong! And Valerie is sooo perfect, so why don't you go with her?" Again, Glinda couldn't believe the words that were leaving her mouth, but she was so tired, she had seen Elphaba with someone else too many times tonight and she had just had enough. She just wanted her Elphie to say she was sorry and that she only wanted her, just her. But she didn't realize that by trying to make Elphaba say that, she was only pushing her away.

"Glinda, please don't"

"No Elphaba, I gave you two options. Can you choose me?"

"Glinda…"

"Just go Elphaba, just go" Glinda finally said, looking down.

"But… I love"

"You just said you aren't sure how you even feel about Valerie. So why don't you go ahead and be with her? Give it a shot, it might be what you always wanted"

"Glinda…" Elphaba started sounding irritated, but she was also trying to calm herself.

"Just do it, Elphaba! All of Shiz thinks you are dating her anyway, and you already kissed her, so just keep doing that and date her for real like she wanted to!"

"Fine! You know what? I'm tired of this; maybe I will date her, if you insist so much, maybe I should!"

"Fine, then what are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be giving her the good news? Just leave! Go with her! I don't want you" Glinda yelled at Elphaba, pushing her toward the door while tears started to fall down her face.

"Fine! I'll do what glorious Glinda wants, okay?" Elphaba said turning around and leaving the room, slamming the door behind her.

The moment the door was shut, reality came crashing down on Glinda. She couldn't believe what she had just done; she had finally pushed Elphaba away forever, and now, now there was nothing left for her to do. Her Elphie didn't belong to her anymore, she belonged to someone else and maybe… maybe it was time for Glinda to do the same, to let Elphaba go and find someone else to be with. That way she could feel someone else's love for her, even if she couldn't be with the only person she would ever truly love.

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><p>Ok, so maybe that wasn't the chapter you were expecting, but I think it had to happen. Next chapter we will have a few changes in the girls' relationship and the famous visit to the Wizard that changes their lives (for good?)<p> 


	17. Giving up?

A/N: Hi guys! I was able to update faster this time :)

Thank you so much for all the reviews! You guys are amazing. Thanks to Vickiheartgelphie, CurlyHairedGirl, izzy95, Rainea91, James Birdsong, youreawizardharry. And also to IDontWalkIGlide, Lifelover88, and Kohaku Zelpher for reviewing earlier.

Your reviews mean the world to me and they are a great motivation to keep writing. It's great to know that you like this story. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Thanks again

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><p>Glinda kept crying while sitting on her bed. Croppe kept trying to comfort her, but he didn't really know what to say; he knew Glinda was hurting right now, but there was nothing he could really do about it. After a few more minutes, Glinda suddenly stopped crying and got up quickly from her bed.<p>

"You know what? I've had it. She can't do this to me, not after everything we've been through"

"What do you mean? What are you doing?" Croppe asked while Glinda took a suitcase out of her closet and started to put some clothes in it.

"What does it look like? I'm packing"

"Are you really going to the Emerald City?" Croppe asked, wondering about what decision the blonde had just made.

"Yes"

"But… Are you really gonna do it? Are you going to be Elphaba's bridesmaid? Won't that be too much for you?"

"I have no intention of being anyone's bridesmaid because there won't be a wedding"

Realizing the meaning behind Glinda's statement, Croppe got up quickly and walked toward the blonde.

"Glinda, you can't…"

"Look Croppe, there's nothing you can do or say that'll change my mind. I… I can't live without her, don't you see that?" she added with so much honesty that Croppe decided not to interfere anymore.

"I love her with all of my being, and after what happened between us… specially the last couple of weeks, I can't believe she would do something like this. I'm actually starting to believe there's something else behind this wedding"

"Really, like what?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, I'll figure it out"

"And what if there's no hidden reason behind it, what if the only reason behind it is love?"

"Well… either way, I have to do something"

"Look Glinda, I don't know what happened between you and Elphaba a couple of weeks ago, but…"

"Yeah, I know you don't. And I'll tell you about it; maybe that will make you see why I'm choosing to do this, but it's a long story and we don't have time to waste. I don't have time to waste, I only have a few days to go to the Emerald City, find out what's truly going on, make Elphaba realize that I'm the one she wants and stop that nonsense of a wedding".

"Are you sure that's for the best? What if by trying to break Elphaba and Valerie apart you end up losing Elphaba? Are you willing to take that risk?"

"By not doing anything I'd be losing her, Croppe" Glinda said, closing her suitcase and walking toward her balcony, ready to leave by bubble to the Emerald City.

"I can't lose her, not like this, not without a fight. I'll never give up on her, on us, never".

* * *

><p>"I'm giving up on her"<p>

"What?" Fiyero almost yelled. He had found Glinda a few minutes earlier, and now they were walking together to their Life Science class.

"You can't be serious Glinda, what happened? After you left so quickly yesterday I thought you and Elphaba had left to talk privately in your room; I thought everything would be okay by now"

"We did talk, but it didn't end up well"

"What happened?"

Glinda sighed, she didn't want to talk about this, but she saw no reason not to confide in Fiyero "Well, she pretty much said that she wasn't sure if she loved me or not, or if she loved Valerie. I told her we should be together and announce ourselves as a couple to the rest of Shiz, but she said she couldn't do that, because of Valerie and something else that was going on… she kept saying that there was a reason why she and Valerie had told everyone at Shiz that they were a couple, it had something to do with Morrible. But I just couldn't listen to her excuses anymore… so I kind of asked her to leave and I told her she should be with Valerie if she couldn't be with me"

"You can't be serious Glinda! Why would you do that? Wait… Elphaba told you that her and Valerie being a couple happened because of something related to Morrible…?"

Glinda nodded "Yeah, but that's not the point"

"So, does that mean that what happened yesterday at the Ball wasn't completely true?"

"Yeah, she said it was just a show… But, as I said, that's not the point!"

"Then what is it?"

"She doesn't love me anymore, so she should be with someone she does. As I said, I'm giving up"

"You don't mean that"

"Look Fiyero, I don't wanna talk about it anymore, okay? Yesterday was just too much for me and I barely slept because I kept crying, and I'm tired of doing that too; I decided it's time for me to move on."

"Really? And what did Elphaba have to say about that?"

"I don't know… I haven't seen her since last night. I noticed her books missing this morning, so I guess she came very early to pick them up; I really don't want to think about what she did after our fight or where she ended up spending the night because I'm sure I won't like the answer to those questions"

"So, you still have feelings for her" Fiyero said, matter-of-factly.

"Yes, but I'm moving on…aren't you listening to me?"

"I am, but are you? Because I'm not sure you realize what you are saying right now; as you said, you are tired, and you were tired last night, that's why you ended up doing something irrational"

"I'm not being irrational!"

"Fine, then how do you plan on moving on?"

"Well, there are still a lot of boys who I'm sure are dying to date me, so I'll start with that"

"Well, I won't let you"

"What?"

"I said, I won't let you"

"Oh, really? And what are you going to do to stop me?" the blonde asked glaring at Fiyero.

"It'll be very easy, actually. All I have to do is prohibit the guys around campus to date you"

"You can't do that"

"Sure I can, I'm too popular for them to confront me. Look, even though you are one of the most beautiful girls at Shiz, most guys won't dare to go against me, and the ones who actually do will get their asses kicked"

"I can't believe you would do that!"

"I would. I know that I won't be able to keep it up for too long, because sooner or later they might all unite and kill me to get a chance to date you, but it'll work for some time. At least until you start thinking clearly again"

Glinda was fuming.

"Look, I'm actually doing you a favor Glinda, you'll be grateful later"

"Really? Because right now all I wanna do that is punch you in the face"

"Yeah, I can sense that" Fiyero said, taking one step away from the blonde to put more distance between them. "But look at it this way, I'm actually giving you time to think before you make any mistakes. And if you still want to date someone else after this, I'd be helping you see who would really fight for you, who would do anything just to be with you. You could finally find out if you prince charming is actually waiting for you out there"

Focusing on the first part of Fiyero's argument, Glinda replied "I don't see how you are preventing me from making mistakes"

"Look, I can't believe I'm going to say this because the last thing that I thought I would ever find myself doing is giving my ex-girlfriend _girl advice_ to get _her_ ex-girlfriend, a girl whom I also like, back. But, leaving that aside, if there's any chance you and Elphaba have of being a couple again, it would be ruined if you go around Shiz dating everyone. Think about it Glinda, you have too much to lose"

"I have nothing left to lose"

"Yes, you do" Fiyero said, before he entered their classroom.

* * *

><p>When her class ended, Glinda found herself walking back toward her room. She hadn't talked to Fiyero again after their class started. And Elphie hadn't even gotten there. <em>Elphie<em>, was she even allowed to keep using that nickname? She knew that she couldn't be in a relationship with Elphaba anymore, but were they still friends?

As Glinda pondered all that and the things Fiyero had told her earlier, she opened her bedroom's door just to find the green girl sitting on her bed.

"Hi" Elphaba said.

"Hi" the blonde responded. She didn't know what else to say, or if she should say anything at all.

"I was waiting for you. Look Glin, we need to talk about what happened last night"

"I know" Glinda nodded, while closing the door. She then walked toward her bed. Up until a few minutes ago, she had still been angry at Elphaba, but after seeing the green girl once again, she felt all her anger fade away "Why didn't you go to our class this morning?"

"I won't be attending that class anymore. I'll be taking sorcery lessons instead of it"

"Right…"

"Yeah, the best part of it was having Dr. Dillamond anyway…"

Glinda just nodded again.

"Glinda, I'm sorry for leaving the way I did yesterday. I didn't want to run away, but I couldn't take it anymore"

"It's okay, Elphaba. I'm sorry I yelled at you"

"I'm sorry I yelled back, I really didn't mean to. I don't know if you still feel the same way you did last night… when you said you and I should part ways… but I only wanted to tell you that I don't think I can do that. You… you mean too much to me, Glin" Elphaba said, with tears forming in her eyes.

Glinda felt devastated at the sight "Elphie…" she said, walking toward Elphaba's bed and sitting next to her "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I couldn't stand us being apart either"

Elphaba responded by hugging the blonde tightly.

"So, friends?" Elphaba asked while pulling back from the hug.

Glinda didn't know what to say. They were just friends, right? She had decided to move on, right?

"Of course, Elphie. Friends" she finally answered smiling.

"Oz Glin, I was so scared of losing you" the green girl admitted.

"I was too, but I guess I just didn't want to think about it. And when I didn't see you this morning… by the way, where did you sleep?"

"At Val's" Elphaba said, looking down.

"Oh. So, you two are…"

"After our fight last night, I was so angry and confused. For a moment I thought you were right, and I thought that Valerie and I belonged together because you didn't want me at all anymore. I needed a place to sleep anyway, so I went to Val's. She asked what had happened and as I was telling her about some of the things that had been said, I felt like our discussion was happening all over again. Anyway, after that I told her I accepted her offer to have something real. I guess it was a good choice because this morning Morrible saw us eating breakfast together and she didn't look so confident anymore. She actually looked kind of worried.

I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Morrible earlier, my sweet, but we think she might have something to do with the way Animals have been losing their rights around Oz. And I'm actually sure she had something to do with Dr. Dillamond's disappearance, although Valerie still doubts that.

We also think she's trying to gain power in government and that her next move involved using magic against Animals, some people who might get in her way and the Wizard himself. I don't know how she could use magic against the Wizard, considering all the powers he must have, but Valerie told me that I shouldn't focus on that. She asked me to focus on Morrible because she seems to have specific plans on how to use me and my powers.

That's why Val had contacted me in the Emerald City and that's why she also decided to come here. Unfortunately, once she was here, she didn't have a good excuse to stay. That's until she thought that maybe if we were in some kind of relationship… the Wizard would allow her to stay, at least for a while. She says the Wizard likes to think of himself as a romantic, it seems that he lost someone he really loved years ago, so Valerie knew that using that excuse would buy us some time.

The day of the Ball, Morrible told her that the Wizard needed her to go to Quadling Country to take care of some business, so we had to act soon to get her to stay."

Everything now made sense to Glinda; the way Elphaba and Valerie had been acting during the Ball, the way Morrible had reacted… the plan that Elphaba had talked about, everything.

"So now you are going to fight Morrible? Do you have any proof against her?"

"Valerie told me a friend of hers found a few documents a couple of days ago, but we don't really have much. But every information we gathered so far points to the fact that Morrible is behind all of it. So we are going to go against her, we have to"

Of course you have to, Glinda thought proudly. She knew Elphaba cared too much about the Animals and having justice in Oz to just let this go.

"I want to help" Glinda said firmly.

"No, my sweet. You can't. I couldn't put you in danger. I wanted to share this with you because you are my friend, and I love you, and you deserved to know what was going on. But I couldn't put you in danger"

"Elphie, now that you've told me all of this, you can't expect me to just sit back and do nothing. I need to help. Please"

Elphaba saw so much honesty in Glinda's eyes that she knew the blonde meant everything she said. "Okay, but you have to be careful"

"No, we have to be careful"

"You are right" Elphaba said smiling and kissing the blonde's forehead.

"Now I have to go, there're some books I have to get from the library"

"I guess some things never change" Glinda said, smiling fondly at Elphaba.

"I guess not" Elphaba chuckled.

"Would you like me to get us something to eat from the cafeteria on my way back? We could have dinner here together. Unless you have other plans…" Elphaba said while picking up her backpack from the floor.

"I'd like to have dinner with you. I don't have any other plans and I don't think I'll be having them anytime soon"

"Why?" Elphaba asked intrigued.

"Elphie… Fiyero knows about us, about our relationship, and he said…"

"Wait" Elphaba interrupted the blonde, looking horrified "He knows? But he… he has been acting so"

"Normal? Yes, he doesn't really care. Anyway… " Glinda continued, telling Elphaba about the decision Fiyero had made of not letting Glinda date anyone at Shiz.

"Well Glin, I think you should have the right to decide whether you wanna date someone or not" Elphaba said, looking toward the floor. "Maybe you should try to reason with him"

"Yeah, _maybe _I should" Glinda said. Now that she understood what had really happened, she was starting to think that Fiyero had actually been right about some of the things he had said.

"I'll be back soon, my sweet" Elphaba said before closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p>The next morning Glinda found Fiyero again on her way to class.<p>

"So, do you still wanna date every guy here at Shiz just to move on?"

"Hello Fiyero, it's nice to see you too" Glinda answered playfully.

"Wow, it's nice to see you in a better mood, Glin. But you didn't answer my question"

"Well, I never said _every guy_. But… Elphaba and I had a talk yesterday and I think you might have been right"

"Really?" Fiyero asked sounding amused.

"Yes, really" Glinda said smiling.

"Well, that's too bad because I had just decided not to prevent you from dating anyone you want"

"And why is that?"

"Someone came to defend your honor Glinda, and confronted me, saying that I had no right to do what I was planning on doing"

"And who was my knight in shining armor?" Glinda asked, somewhat intrigued.

"I can't give you many details because I swore secrecy. But let's just say you have a very green knight"

"What?" Glinda asked after she had suddenly stopped walking.

"Yes, you have a green knight. Your knight came to me and told me that I had no right to prevent you from making your own decisions. I asked her if she wouldn't get hurt if you actually started dating someone and she said that the only thing she wanted was for you to be happy and for you to be loved. Now, isn't that nice?" Fiyero said grinning at Glinda.

"Yes, yes it is" Glinda said, grinning back.

* * *

><p>That afternoon Glinda had gone directly to her room to think about what Fiyero had told her. She started to think about the way her relationship with Elphie had developed until now. She thought about their first date and their first kiss, about the way Elphaba had left to the Emerald City, but also about the fact that she had come back, and then about the things that both Fiyero and Elphaba had told her. And that's when she realized that even if at the beginning she had thought that she and Elphaba needed to go their separate ways, she had been completely wrong. Elphaba couldn't move on because she still loved Glinda, and Glinda simply didn't want to move on because she had found the one person she truly wanted to spend the rest of her life with.<p>

She had made a mistake once and reacted a way she shouldn't have… trying to make Elphaba jealous and then pushing her away… and now she had made another mistake, but this time she would do the right thing. She would wait patiently for Elphaba to realize she had also made a mistake by staying with Val and then she would offer all of herself to Elphaba, forgetting about what other people thought and focusing only in the love they had for each other.

Elphaba walked into her room that night and was surprised to find Glinda doing her homework.

"Wow, Glin. A friday night and you are still here? Do you have a fever or something?" Elphaba asked playfully, touching the blonde's forehead.

"No, you mean green thing. I'm just studying" Glinda said, smiling back at Elphaba. "And I can't believe you are not doing the same… do you have a fever?" Glinda asked.

"Actually, I was studying, I just came back to get some books" Elphaba said putting some books in her bag.

"Are you going to the library Elphie? Do you want me to join you?"

"I'm actually going to Valerie's apartment to practice a few magic spells. You can come if you want to, it's only a ten minutes walk"

"No, it's okay, thank you" Glinda said. She had decided she would give Elphaba some time and she would wait for her, but that didn't mean she was ready to see her and Val together.

"Are you sure?"

Glinda nodded.

"Okay, I'll be gone for a couple of hours. But what if on my way back I bring some of that hot chocolate you like from the cafeteria and you tell me about your day?"

"That sounds great" Glinda said smiling. "By the way, I talked to Fiyero today and he said he wasn't going to prevent me from dating because someone had defended my honor"

"Really? So, do you have big plans for the week?" Elphaba asked, trying to look nonchalant.

"No, not really. I decided that Fiyero might have been right" Glinda said, grabbing her nightgown and starting to walk toward Elphaba. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I really don't have to go around looking for someone to love, I know the one is out there, so I'll just wait for them to come back to me"

"Anyway, hurry back, Elphie" Glinda said, giving a puzzled Elphaba a kiss on the cheek before walking quickly toward the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

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><p>AN 2: I know I said the girls would be meeting the Wizard during this chapter, but it was getting too long, so that'll be happening next chapter.


	18. With you and I Defying gravity?

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews :) You guys are the best!

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><p>Glinda had been cornered a couple of minutes ago by a third year student. He had approached her to ask her on a date and she had refused politely. But he kept insisting.<p>

"Come on, you and Tiggular stopped dating two months ago, it's time for you to start seeing someone else, or at least have fun with someone else" he said smirking.

It was true, it had been two months since Fiyero and Glinda had officially announced that they weren't a couple anymore; it had also been two months since Elphaba's relationship with Valerie had begun.

"I'll keep that in mind. But I'm not interested right now, so would you please step away?" she asked irritated "I have a class to attend"

"Oh, come on, it's just a class" the guy said, stepping even closer to her "instead of that, we could go to my room and…"

"Glinda, is this guy bothering you?" came a voice from behind the boy. Then a green figure moved in front of Glinda protectively.

"No, Elphie. It's okay, he was just leaving, right master Richard?"

"Yeah, just leaving" the guy answered glaring at them and then walking away.

"Are you okay my sweet? I saw him talking to you and then it seemed like you were asking him to leave but he wasn't willing to do so. The nerve of some people" Elphaba said shaking her head.

"Yeah, the nerve" Glinda agreed, trying to understand the hidden meaning behind Elphaba's actions.

"For a moment it made me think that I should have just let Fiyero threaten everyone at campus not to come near…" Elphaba suddenly stopped, realizing what she had admitted.

"So, it was you!" Glinda said, trying to sound surprised "Then why would you push a guy who was asking me on a date away?"

"Well, I did not like the fact that Fiyero was making decisions for you… as if you belonged to him. And I don't want to sound like a hypocrite, but even though I asked him to stop, I always intended to keep a close eye on you and the guys who might ask you out. It's not that I don't think you can take care of yourself, I just wanted to make sure you'd go out with someone worthy of you"

"And what if I decided to date someone you found unworthy?"

"Well, then Fiyero's plan of kicking their asses sounded pretty good" Elphaba answered smirking.

"You wouldn't! And what if Fiyero refused to help?"

"I could always use magic. I guess I could threaten them with a small magic trick … I can be pretty scary, you know?"

"Wouldn't it be easier to just make them forget about the date somehow?"

"It could be… there're some magic spells and potions for those kinds of things… I think there are even some spells that could erase your memory completely… but that's very dark magic" Elphaba said, sounding worried all of the sudden. "There're some very powerful spells, Glin, which are very dark and dangerous. It scares me, the fact that someday I might end up using magic in the wrong way"

"Don't worry Elphie, I know you won't" Glinda said, taking Elphaba's hand and caressing it. "And even if you did, it would be unintentionally because you have an incredibly generous heart. Either way, I'll always be there for you, no matter what".

"Thanks, my sweet" Elphaba said smiling at Glinda.

* * *

><p>Elphaba and Valerie were fighting again, Glinda knew it. These past days she had seen their relationship growing and crashing down at the same time.<p>

There were days when they seemed okay with each other. Glinda didn't like those days very much, mostly because they would become over affectionate around each other. Did Valerie really have to kiss Elphaba that much? Those days it seemed that every time the blonde turned around she found them kissing or holding hands, or Valerie was dragging Elphaba Oz knows where (Glinda didn't want to think about it). And they ended up spending almost all day together. In those days, Glinda only had a chance to be with Elphaba in their room at night, which wasn't much, but at least gave her the comfort of seeing her green roommate safely tugged in bed.

There were other days though, when their relationship didn't seem to be going so well. Glinda didn't love these days either… well, at least not completely, because those days meant having a grumpy Elphaba. The good part about those days was having Elphaba all to herself for longer periods of time, because even if Elphaba felt grumpy, Glinda always ended up cheering her up.

One of the things that Glinda didn't like was that Elphaba never talked about the problems she and Valerie might be having. That was so frustrating! Glinda wanted to know, needed to know, but Elphaba refused to talk about her relationship with Val even after Glinda had told her it was okay to do so.

Glinda felt like she needed that information because she wanted to see what future that relationship might or might not have; she also wanted to know because she wanted to make sure she wouldn't make the same mistakes Valerie could be making right now. From the moment Elphaba and Glinda got back together, the blonde would make sure she'd be the best girlfriend that ever existed in the entire world.

Once they got back together, everything would be perfect. Just perfect. They would wake up next to each other every day (Glinda was going to make sure of that) and, after a long day of classes, they'd come back and snuggle together, talking and kissing… yes a lot of kissing would be needed to make up for the time they had lost.

Then they'd finish their studies, graduate and move to… the Emerald City? That seemed like a very likely alternative; Glinda could see her Elphie having an important job in government. Glinda would get a job as a sorcerer and even take some architecture courses… and then they'd get married.

_Wait, can we actually do that?_ Glinda thought to herself. She wasn't completely sure, so she'd have to do some research as soon as possible. Anyway, she knew they'd find a way; they'd be together for the rest of their lives…

"Glinda?" Elphaba asked, concerned because Glinda hadn't talked in a really long time and had just been staring into space with a goofy smile on her face.

"Glinda?" she repeated, but the blonde didn't react at all.

"GLINDA!" she yelled.

That had clearly pulled Glinda out of the trance but had startled her so much that she ended up falling out of bed with a loud thud "Oz, what is it Elphie? You didn't have to yell" she replied angrily.

Elphaba rushed to her side "Oh, my sweet, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" she asked while checking Glinda for injuries.

"I'm fine" Glinda said, blushing when she realized how close Elphaba was and the way she was looking at her… like she was a treasure that need to be taken care of.

"But you didn't have to yell, Elphie" Glinda said smiling.

"I'm sorry, but you weren't answering. And you had been quite for so long… you seemed to be in some kind of a trance…"

"Now I just think you are overreacting Elphie, I wasn't in a trance… I was just thinking"

"And you had a brain overload after 2 minutes of thinking, so you shut down completely?"

"Oh, you mean green thing. Just help me up, okay?" Glinda asked.

Elphaba took her hand and helped her stand up. Once they were on their feet, she didn't let go of Glinda's hand, and they just stayed standing in the middle of their room, looking straight at each other, without letting go.

After several seconds Glinda realized she was starting to get lost in Elphaba's deep brown eyes, so she decided to break their moment before she lost control and got carried away. This was not the time to do so.

"Elphie?" she said, clearing her throat.

"Yes?" Elphaba asked, still holding the blonde's hand.

"My hand" the blonde simply stated.

"Oh yeah, sorry" Elphaba said, dropping Glinda's hand quickly and taking a step back.

Glinda was regretting her decision but she knew it had been the correct one.

"I… I just wanted to let you know that I'll be gone for an hour or so. I have to meet Val to talk about some… stuff"

"Oh, okay" the blonde said, now really starting to question the decision she had just made of not kissing Elphaba right there and then.

"Are you having problems again?"

"Glinda…"

"Yeah, I know, you don't feel comfortable talking about it"

Elphaba nodded "I won't be long" she said giving Glinda a beautiful smile before walking out of the room.

_Great, another evening without Elphaba_, Glinda thought to herself. "I might as well get something to eat"

The blonde was walking toward the cafeteria when she heard someone yelling at her; she turned around to see Shensen walking toward her "Wonderful, the night just keep getting better and better" Glinda said softly.

"Oh Galinda. I'm extremely happy I found you" Shensen said once she had caught up with the blonde.

"It's GLINDA, without the GA" the blonde corrected the other girl, sounding frustrated. Hadn't she already talked to her "friends" several times about pronouncing her name correctly?

"Oh yeah, sorry. Sometimes I forget about that. Are you going to the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, I was going to get something to eat"

"Great, I'll just walk with you then. I can give you an update on all the gossip you've been missing... hiding in your room"

"Shensen, I talked to you around noon and you gave me "and update on gossip"; has something important really happened in such a short period of time?"

Shensen gasped "you can't be serious! Of course there are some juicy news. You really need to leave your room more often Ga, Glinda" the girl corrected "you are starting to make me worry. Anyway, so you won't believe what Phanne told me about the brunette who sits in front of her in her History Class, you know, the one she hates?"

_Which one of all of them_ Glinda thought. But decided to just let Shensen talk… maybe that way this torture would be over sooner.

Tuning Shensen out, Glinda started to think about other things like what could Elphaba need to talk about with Valerie… she was pondering about that when suddenly she heard Shenshen mentioning her roommate.

"Wait, what did you say?"

"Oz Glinda, are you even listening?"

"Of course I am! I just missed the last part, what were you saying about Elphaba?"

"Fine" Shensen said, sounding irritated, but then she cheered up again when she went back to her gossip "As I was telling you, Phanne told me that Milla had told her that she had heard Paula telling that other girl… Kim that her boyfriend and a few of his friends had a bet going on. The bet was based on whether Miss Elphaba and Miss Valerie have had… you know what. How scandalous, don't you think?" Shensen asked sounding amused.

"You mean if they have…"

"If they've had intimate relations"

Glinda was horrified at that thought, they couldn't have!

"Phanne told me that Milla had told her that Paula told Kim that her boyfriend said that they were going to find out somehow. Maybe… maybe they'll send Paula to ask you!" Shensen said thrilled.

Glinda thought all of that was just disgusting.

"I mean, you are her roommate after all, right? You'd know. Has Miss Elphaba spent many late nights at Miss Valerie's home? Or has she been gone by the time you wake up? Oh, you must tell me!"

"I… I haven't noticed anything strange" Glinda said but she was thinking something completely different. Hadn't Elphaba been absent sometimes almost all night saying that it was because she was practicing magic… or hadn't she arrived very early in the morning saying she had been studying at the library…

"Well, either way, for what I heard, most guys think they already have. I mean, I've heard people saying that they've seen them kissing desperately and then walking into nearby closets to have some privacy. I even heard some people saying that they heard moaning coming from Miss Valerie's apartment several nights. I honestly don't…"

Glinda was hyperventilating. Could it really be?

"I, I have to go, I'm not hungry anymore" Glnda stated, running away from a very confused Shensen.

* * *

><p>By the time Glinda entered her room too many horrible thoughts had crossed her mind. Part of her knew that what Shensen had told her was only gossip… but another part feared the worst. How was she going to find out the truth? Could she ask Elphie?<p>

At that moment the green girl stepped into the room, slamming the door behind her. She was clearly angry, so Glinda decided it was not the time to ask everything she wanted to know.

"Hi Glin" Elphaba said coldly.

"Hi, is everything alright, Elphie?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, everything is just fine" Elphaba replied, but then noticing the worry in the blonde's eyes she clarified with a soft smile "it just hasn't been a good night, but it's nothing you should worry about, my sweet"

"Oh, okay" Glinda said, dying to ask everything she wanted to know. Instead she only added "I'm here for whatever you need"

"I know my sweet, I know" Elphaba said tenderly again, it seemed that her anger was fading away, but Glinda wasn't going to push it.

"But I think I'll just get changed and go to sleep"

"Yeah, I'll do the same" Glinda replied.

A few minutes later, both girls found themselves trying to get some sleep after the night's events, but it took them a couple of hours to finally be able to rest.

The next morning Glinda woke up to find Elphaba gone. She turned to see the clock she had on her nightstand and then noticed there was a note next to it.

_"My sweet,_

_I know you must be worried about me, sorry for not talking to you about the things that have been bothering me lately, but I think I'm ready to talk now. Would you like to have lunch with me? I'll be waiting for you at the cafeteria in case you are able to meet me. If not, we could talk tonight._

_Elphaba"_

* * *

><p>When Glinda entered the cafeteria a few hours later, she found Elphaba already there, waiting for her<p>

"Hi Elphie" she said, beaming at the sight of her green roommate.

"Hi Glin, I'm glad you could make it" Elphaba said smiling back. "I ordered something for you. I hope you don't mind, but I saw they were serving your favorite dish so I decided to order it before there was nothing left of it"

"I don't mind at all Elphie, thank you" Glinda said, sitting next to her roommate. She was smiling brightly, Elphaba was always very thoughtful with her.

"You were right in your note Elphie, I've been worried, is everything okay? I mean, I sensed that you were having problems with Valerie, but…"

"Valerie and I broke up last night" Elphaba said, interrupting the blonde.

Glinda was so surprised at the news that ended up choking on her food.

"Are you okay, Glin?" Elphaba said, moving quickly next to Glinda and patting her on the back.

Once Glinda recovered, she drank some water and then asked "What? I mean, did you just say that…?"

"Yes, Val and I broke up"

"What, what happened?"

"It just wasn't right, I guess. We had different opinions on some subjects and neither of us wanted to back down… maybe we are too alike, maybe we both entered the relationship for the wrong reasons… thinking there could be something else. I mean, there was, at least at the beginning and I still care for her and all, but we had too many disagreements that led us to discussions constantly and that just wasn't healthy.

We were at our breaking point and last night we decided to break up. Well, actually Valerie said we should take a break and talk again after a few days, but I don't see us solving this anytime soon."

Glinda started registering the things Elphaba was saying… At first she had said they had broken up, but then she said they were on a brake… did that mean they were still together? But then Elphie said she didn't see them getting back together… that meant that now she could have her Elphie back! Doing an incredibly huge effort to hide her grin, she decided to ask

"What went wrong Elphie? I mean, it was so fast"

"I know Glin, I know. But as I told you, I think we entered the relationship for the wrong reasons. We got carried away with our plan and what was happening around us. Even Val admitted that… maybe we just wanted to take it all in. I think we just rushed into things"

_Really, you think_? The blonde thought, but decided not to ask that out loud.

"So now you are back to being friends?"

"Yes, as friends we are perfect… but we don't really work as something else. Does that make any sense?" she asked Glinda

"Yes Elphie, it does" the blonde said nodding "what kind of different opinions did you have?" she had to start asking all the things she'd been dying to know.

"Honestly, they were mostly about what to do next about Morrible and the Wizard. I thought that we should just confront the Wizard and tell him our suspicions about Madame Morrible, the corruption in government and how that was affecting the lives of the people and Animals around Oz. But Valerie thought that we had take it slow, you know, wait a few months… or something like that. But I couldn't do that Glinda, I can't wait anymore"

Glinda felt herself understanding both sides; she understood Elphaba's passion, but she also understood the rationality behind Valerie's ideas.

"About that…" Elphaba continued, looking away from the blonde "Madame Morrible gave me a letter today. It is an invitation from the Wizard. He wants to meet me and I think I'll go"

"That's fantastic Elphie, you'll be able to talk to him. But… Have you told Valerie about this, what does she think about it?"

"I haven't been able to tell her. She left early today because the Wizard asked her to go to Munchkinland for a few days"

"Oh, when would you have to leave?"

"I'll be leaving tonight" Elphaba said.

Glinda didn't like the fact of letting her Elphie go to the Emerald City again.

"And I want you to come with me" Elphaba then said, looking straight at the blonde "I have to do this Glin, I can't wait anymore like Val wants me to. And as I told you before, you are the most important person in my life, that's why I need you next to me now. Would you come with me?"

Glinda was beaming on the outside and she felt like she would die from happiness on the inside.

"Of course, Elphie! I'll always be with you"

* * *

><p>Glinda had enjoyed their trip to the Emerald City; they had taken a train, so it hadn't been too long before they arrived there, but she had been able to spend some precious time with Elphie. She could see their relationship starting to go further again, by the way they talked, by the way Elphie looked at her, and she was determined to make a move tonight after their visit to his Ozness. That way Elphaba wouldn't be thinking about the meeting anymore and Glinda would have her complete attention.<p>

However now that they were running upstairs to one of the Palace's tallest towers she doubted they'd be without worries tonight.

Elphaba closed the tower's entry door once they had gotten there and after looking frantically for a way out, she started chanting from that awful book.

"Elphie, stop it!" Glinda screamed, nothing good had come from that book so far.

But then a broom started to levitate in one of the corners of the room and moved toward Elphaba, like it had always belonged with the green girl. The moment Glinda saw Elphaba grabbing the broom, she heard the guards pounding at the door, trying to open it.

"Glinda, get on the broom" Elphaba said.

Glinda walked toward her slowly, thinking what to do.

"Elphie, I…" This was it, and Glinda knew it. She could stay and go back to the palace, claiming it had all been a mistake and she would let Elphie go. Or she could join Elphaba in her journey and stay with her forever, but by doing that she'd be leaving behind her friends, her family, her home… But wasn't Elphaba her home? her everything? Glinda realized there had never been a choice to make.

"Glinda, together we could be unlimited"

"I… " Glinda walked toward Elphaba and kissed her passionately, breaking apart after a few seconds, not because she wanted to, but because she knew they didn't have too much time at the moment "I know Elphie. Let's go" she said.

Elphaba looked surprised at the kiss, but recovered quickly and smiled at Glinda. She then placed the broom in front of them but the tower's door had just been opened.

They turned around, afraid to find all the guards pointing their guns at them, but instead they saw someone else walking in.

"Val?" Elphaba asked confused.

Valerie closed the door behind her. Glinda could see some guards lying on the floor on the other side of the door.

"What the hell, Elphaba! Didn't I tell you not to come here? Didn't I tell you it was too soon and that we had to be careful with Morrible!"

"You are not the boss of her!" Glinda yelled, angry that someone would dare to yell at her Elphie.

"Valerie, Glinda is right. You can't tell me what to do, and as I had told you earlier, I'm tired of waiting, I can't wait anymore and now is my time to take a stand"

"How is being a fugitive any better?"

Glinda hated to admit that Valerie had made a good point.

"It isn't. But I prefer that than not doing anything at all just because I'm scared. Because, admit it Val, that's what you have, fear"

"Fine, but is that really so wrong?" Valerie asked, calming down.

"No, it isn't. But I can't just sit back. How long have you been working with the Wizard? And still you haven't been able to accomplish what you wanted because…"

"Because I'm being cautious"

"Maybe, but as I said, I can't do that, I'm sorry"

Valerie groaned "Oz, you are stubborn"

"So are you"

Valerie just looked away, not confirming nor denying Elphaba's statement. Suddenly, the girls heard the guards pounding at the door again.

"My spell must have worn off" Valerie stated, she then looked directly at Elphaba "Oz Fae, you'll be the death of me, I guess you already are" she said walking toward Glinda and Elphaba. Looking at them and then back at the tower's entry door she added with a sigh "Fine, let's do this"

"You mean…" Elphaba started saying.

"I mean I'm going with you, I can't go back now anyway"

Glinda didn't like this idea AT ALL.

Valerie looked at the broom, then at Glinda and Elphaba. "How were you planning to escape?"

"WE were going to fly" Glinda said pointing at Elphaba and herself "Elphie enchanted the broom"

"You did what?" Valerie asked surprised at what Elphaba had done "Wow, maybe I was wrong, maybe you are ready for this. I guess old Yackle was right"

"Who is Yackle?" both Elphaba and Glinda asked at the same time.

"No time to explain, I'll tell you later and you also have to tell me what just happened with the Wizard" Valerie said and then she looked back at the broom with a worried expression. "It won't be able to carry the three of us".

The girls looked at each other without saying anything. Glinda could see Elphaba trying to find a way out. Meanwhile, she could hear the guards starting to break the door.

"Well, Glinda, I think you are going to have to stay" Valerie suddenly stated.

"WHAT?" The blonde yelled

"I'm not leaving her" Elphaba said firmly.

"We don't have a choice" Valerie said, looking at both girls. "Look, I know a place where Elphaba and I can stay for the night and I know of someone who can help us with this mess. I said I was going to help you Ephaba, because now it's too late to go back, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to fix this. We should at least try, don't you think? If we receive the help I'm talking about, we could come back, face the Wizard properly and you'd stop being a fugitive. In the meantime, Glinda could stay here as a spy of some kind, she could say that she was against us and she could ask for forgiveness or something like that. That way, having her here, would also mean being able to keep an eye on the Wizard and Morrible"

"I'm not doing that, I'm not leaving her and I'm not putting her in danger" Elphaba said firmly again.

Valerie turned to Glinda "Glinda, you know it would be for the best. That way we'd be able to keep Elphaba safe and you'd be helping us against the Wizard"

Glinda didn't know what to do. What Valerie said sounded rational, but she didn't want to be apart from her Elphie… But, this way she'd be helping her be safe and she would help her accomplish everything she'd ever wanted.

"I'll do it. I'll stay" Glinda said, stepping away from the broom.

"No Glin, we'll find another way" Elphaba said, walking toward Glinda, tears forming in her eyes.

At the sight, Glinda started crying too. "No, Elphie. We don't have time. Valerie is right and you know it too. This way we can still have a chance to make things right in Oz" _and keep you safe,_ Glinda thought.

"No" Elphaba said, hugging Glinda tightly.

After a couple of seconds, Glinda took a step back again, breaking the hug. "Just, just come back for me" she whispered "and everything will be fine".

"I will my sweet, I will " Elphaba said determinedly, then she leaned in and pressed her lips lightly to Glinda's. "Just hold out, my sweet. Hold out if you can".

Elphaba then walked fast toward her broom and mounted it, sitting in front of Val, just as the tower's door burst open.

The two witches flew into the sky, leaving angry guards and a crying third witch behind. 

* * *

><p>AN 2: I know some things were left unanswered, but we'll get those answers soon.


	19. Again and again

A/N: Thanks to Lifelover88, I Don't Walk I Glide, CurlyHairedGirl, Rainea91 for your reviews! As I said, they're and inspiration to keep writing.

Thanks everyone else for keeping up with the story.

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

><p>Glinda had been living in the Palace for almost three weeks now and she felt trapped. She knew it hadn't been very long, but couldn't help but wish she weren't there. She wanted to be away, away with her Elphie.<p>

_Her Elphie_… she wondered how the green girl was doing. Would she be coming back at some point? Or would she just choose to stay away for a longer period of time? Glinda wished Elphie would come back as soon as possible because a longer separation seemed unthinkable to her. She couldn't stay more weeks… months… years without the person she loved with all of her heart; she knew that would end up killing her sooner or later.

But she decided not to think about that, instead she pictured Elphie coming back to be in her arms very soon, and because of that Glinda would stay strong.

A knock was heard on her bedroom's door.

"Come in" Glinda said automatically, she was leaning on her balcony, already prepared for a speech she would be giving in the City's main square.

The same night Elphaba had left, she had had a meeting with the Wizard and Morrible where she had told them, like Valerie had asked her to, that she was sorry for what had happened and that she didn't agree with any of Elphaba's opinions.

The Wizard and Morrible had asked her to stay for the night and the next morning they had made her an offer… she would be the goverment's public face and she would spread good news all over Oz, assuring citizens that there was nothing to fear when it came to the Wicked Witch.

The Wicked Witch… the one who, according to Morrible's statements, had kidnapped Glinda, hurt the Wizard and some innocent animals and then corrupted their dear Vizier.

While Glinda remembered all that, the door opened and Fiyero walked in.

"Hey, Glin. Ready for the big day?"

Glinda turned around and saw him dressing in a guard's uniform. He looked so grown up, so… mature in that outfit.

Fiyero had arrived to the Emerald City two days after the incident with the Wizard. He was devastated when he learned about what had happened to Elphaba and he told Glinda he'd stay to make sure she'd be okay. So he had asked for a job at the palace and the Wizard had offered him one right away as a member of the Palace's guard.

At the beginning Morrible hadn't been too happy about that, but then she said it could end up being a good thing. Glinda and Fiyero could show themselves as a couple, Oz's sweethearts, and that would even make a better impression on the citizens. Who wouldn't love the fairy tale couple… the beautiful princess and the dashing prince… against the awful witch? If only they'd known that in reality both the princess and the prince longed to have the witch back…

"Yes, I'm ready, Fiyero" Glinda said, walking toward him and then out of her room.

Glinda ended up returning late that night. The speech had gone great and after it, Glinda and Fiyero had greeted everyone that had come to hear it. Glinda… now Glinda The Good… had pretty much told everyone how wonderful the Wizard was and how they'd always be safe. Although she had refused to state that they should be careful with the Wicked Witch… Morrible wouldn't be too happy about that, but any complains would be received in the morning because right now all Glinda wanted to do was to go to sleep and dream.

That's why nights had become her favorite part of the day, because she dreamed about a better life… a life with Elphie, and that gave her strength, hope.

* * *

><p>Glinda was lying on soft grass and she could hear a lake in the distance. She felt so peaceful and happy, and when she turned her head to the right she saw brown eyes looking back at her.<p>

"Hey" Elphie whispered moving closer to the blonde and taking her in her arms "I love you; you know that, don't you?"

Glinda nodded against Elphaba's shoulder. She then lifted her face toward Elphie and kissed her softly. Elphaba instantly deepened the kiss and Glinda kissed her back passionately.

"I miss you so much" Glinda said, breathing heavily after breaking the kiss. "You'll come back to me, won't you?"

"Always my sweet, always" Elphaba said, caressing the blonde's cheek "But first, you have to wake up"

"I'm not sleeping, Elphie" Glinda answered smiling.

"Just wake up, my darling, wake up" Elphaba said again, still caressing her cheek.

Glinda felt herself starting to wake up "No, no, don't leave me" she started whimpering "I don't wanna wake up" 

"My sweet, you have to" someone said in front of her and at the sound Glinda's eyes flew open.

"Elphie?" she asked, trying to make sure that the figure in front of her and the hand that was still on her cheek belonged to her friend.

"Yes, I missed you" Elphaba said, pulling Glinda into a hug.

Glinda hugged her back instantly, never wanting to let go. She buried her face in Elphaba's neck, sensing her smell, feeling her warmth.

"I feared you wouldn't come back" Glinda whispered.

"Never my sweet, never" Elphaba said, breaking the hug and looking at the blonde. "Are you okay? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"No, I'm fine. But you, how are you?"

"I'm fine; after we left, Valerie and I went to her aunt's house... Yackle. She is kind of crazy, if you ask me, but she offered us shelter and she kind of gave us a way out of this mess. She… she knew me, Glin. She knew about my powers, about my family, my life… about you… it was kind of creepy. It turns out she's a witch too, that's why she also knew about the Grimmerie and the power it held"

"What's the Grimm..?"

"It's the book the Wizard gave me. The first night we saw Yackle, she told me many things that made me think that I had to escape from her house, run away from her and Valerie and fight on my own…"

"What did she tell you?"

"Glin, it turns out that Valerie had come to Shiz looking for me because her aunt had asked her to. Yackle told me that she used to perform very powerful magic spells that caused her to black out and have some kind of visions. In one of those visions she saw me, a green bottle, some slippers, you in a bubble of some kind, a flying house and the Wizard in a balloon… things that didn't make sense at all, and then Oz in ruins.

She didn't give me any specifics, she said she'd do that in due time, but everything she saw made her realize she had to do something to prevent the horrible things that were about to come.

That's why she had started teaching Val and her sister about magic. She had also talked to them about her visions, that's why when Valerie heard about me, she told her aunt immediately. Yackle asked her to stay with me and keep me away from the Wizard because together we would save Oz.

I felt so confused Glinda… I was alone… You were here, my family surely hated me by then and Valerie had lied to me all along, I just wanted to leave. But then Yackle mentioned you, she said that if I didn't do something to change the curse of things, you and I would never be together again, and I couldn't let that happen, I couldn't lose you" Elphaba finished with tears forming in her eyes.

"Oh, Elphie, you'll never lose me" Glinda said, hugging Elphaba tightly again.

A knock on the balcony's glass door was heard.

"Elphie?" Glinda asked confused, looking at the door.

Elphaba sighed "Glin, after my talk with Yackle, I accepted to do as she said, that way I'd get you back. And she told me she had a plan" Elphaba said, standing up, and walking toward the balcony's door. She opened it and Valerie walked in.

"Thanks, I was freezing out there"

"What is she doing here?" Glinda asked angrily.

Elphaba walked back toward Glinda.

"Glin, I talked to her and she explained why she lied and why she did everything she did. I settled things with her… she is my friend after all and now she only wants to help"

"Fine" Glinda said, glaring at Valerie.

"Thanks, my sweet. Now, we have a plan, and we need your help". 

* * *

><p>The three witches walked through the Palace's hallways silently.<p>

"Are you sure it's this way?" Valerie asked Glinda whispering.

Glinda just glared at her as a response

"Okay, guess it is" Valerie said looking away from the blonde.

Glinda stopped before turning right on a corner.

"The Throne Room is the second room on the right"

"You have really gotten to know this place, haven't you?" Elphaba asked.

"Well, I had to know my way around to escape from Morrible whenever it was necessary. Come on, let's go"

The girls walked toward the door, but the moment they were in front of it, they heard a voice behind them.

"Halt in the name of the Wizard!"

They turned around, only to find Fiyero standing in front of them.

"Oz Fiyero, you scared us" Glinda whispered.

"Glinda, Elphaba?" The prince said, walking toward the green girl, and hugging her. "Are you okay? Wait, what are you doing? You shouldn't be here, if they find you…"

"We are here to fix things" Elphaba said smiling at him "But, what are you doing here?"

"I took a job to be able to help someday, I guess it turned out being a good idea. I also wanted to look after you and Glinda" he said smiling back and then looking toward Glinda, smiling at her too.

"Oh" Elphaba said, misinterpreting Fiyero's response while looking between Glinda and him.

"But we are not back together" Glinda quickly clarified after seeing the way Elphaba was looking at them.

"Oh, come on. Can we leave this high school drama for later? We have things to do" Valerie said.

"Sorry, you are right" Elphaba said blushing "Fiyero, we need to get into this room to release the Monkeys, then we'll need to go to the Wizard's study room. Could you help us by keeping watch, please?"

"Sure, but be careful. What's your plan?"

"We don't have time to explain, but please, trust us"

Fiyero nodded and opened the Throne Room, closing the door behind the girls. 

* * *

><p>The moment they walked in, the lights went on and Morrible appeared in the middle of the room. "Hello girls, it took you long enough" she said with venom dripping on every word.<p>

A loud thud was heard outside the door "Oh, don't worry. Master Fiyero is just being taken care of. This couldn't have gotten any better, now I can get rid of all of you once and for all" she said, starting to chant and forming an energy orb in her hands that was thrown directly at Valerie, sending her against the wall behind them.

"Val!" Elphaba yelled, but before running toward her, she changed her mind and stepped in front of Glinda, protecting her.

"Oh, yes. Precious Glinda, I knew you'd come back for her, Thropp. Terrible mistake" Morrible said, starting to chant again.

Elphaba started to chant too and an energy orb formed quickly in her hands. That took Morrible by surprise, giving Elphaba enough time to finish her spell first and throw the energy orb at Morrible, sending her across the room.

"Come on" Elphaba said, taking Glinda's hand and running toward Valerie.

"Guards!" Morrible yelled.

A dozen guards stepped into the room instantly. Four of them moved to break Elphaba and Glinda apart and, after achieving their goal, held them tightly apart from each other. The other guards went to stand next to Morrible.

Morrible walked toward Glinda.

"Oh, what a tragedy, don't you think?" she said to Elphaba, taking a strand of Glinda's golden hair between her fingers. "I wonder how people in Oz will react when they learn that their dear Glinda The Good was murdered by the Wicked Witch". She then grabbed Glinda's arm and started chanting again. Glinda started screaming out in pain.

"Don't touch her!" Elphaba yelled and suddenly the guards that were holding her back went flying against the wall, just like Morrible and the guards that were standing next to Glinda.

Elphaba ran toward Glinda, catching her before she hit the floor "Are you okay?"

Glinda nodded, but then Elphaba felt a wave of pain shooting throughout her body, making her feel like she was burning from the inside out.

"I'm sick of this" Glinda heard Morrible saying while she walked toward them, but then, she was pushed down to the floor by Valerie.

"Go, go and take Elphaba with you!" she yelled, looking back at Glinda while trying to keep Morrible down.

Just then, the Throne Room's doors flew open and the Wizard walked in with Fiyero behind him.

That distracted Valerie and gave Morrible the chance to catch her off guard and use a spell to throw her to the other side of the room.

"What's happening here? What the hell do you think you are doing, Madame?" the Wizard asked angrily, walking toward Valerie to make sure she was okay. "We said that if the girls came back we would talk to them, reason with them, not hurt them. Fiyero, please, bring Miss Glinda and Miss Elphaba here" Fiyero nodded and walked toward the girls. They were both hurt, but strong enough to walk, so they leaned against him and he helped them walk toward the Wizard.

"Now, what the hell do you think You are doing?" Morrible asked "You stupid old man, don't you realize the power they have? The danger they represent to your government?"

"How dare you talk to me like that? I am your ruler!"

"Ha! You wouldn't have made it this far without me! You are useless"

"How dare…"

"And you know what… maybe this is a good thing. Now that you are here too, I can take care of all of you right now, once and for all. I'll get rid of those annoyances" she said pointing at the girls "and I'll give Oz a new ruler. Yes, I can be the only survivor of the Witches' attack" she then started chanting and her eyes went black while she moved her hands and a big energy orb started to form in them. Several things in the room started flying around.

"Elphaba!" Valerie yelled and Elphaba turned to look at her, understanding what she had to do.

Elphaba moved away from Fiyero and started chanting too, and just as Morrible threw the energy orb at them, a powerful force shield appeared out of nowhere, surrounding them and keeping them safe.

However, Elphaba felt herself getting weaker and weaker by the moment, she didn't have a lot of energy left and the shield she was forming was very powerful to be protecting all of them.

"You will not defeat me!" Morrible yelled, throwing another energy orb at them.

Elphaba fell to her knees but kept chanting. Glinda moved away from Fiyero and kneeled next to Elphaba. "Elphie" she said softly, scared of what was going on. She felt like there was nothing for her to do, so, following her instincts, she just held one of Elphaba's hands, interweaving their fingers.

That's when she felt a strong shot of energy going throughout her body.

Elphaba's eyes went blank and she started chanting louder. Suddenly, Valerie appeared at Elphaba's other side taking her other hand and she started chanting too.

The field that was surrounding them started getting stronger and Morrible looked worried.

"No, no!" she screamed, while chanting louder too. At that moment the field started shinning, sending Morrible's spell back at her, causing her to hit the wall behind her with a fierce impact.

Once Morrible was no longer a threat, the shield around them disappeared and Elphaba fell unconscious on the floor. 

* * *

><p>Glinda was lying on the grass, listening to the familiar lake in the distance. She turned around and saw Elphaba holding her.<p>

"You have gotten better at using you powers. But you scared me, Elphie, I thought I'd lose you"

"I'm sorry my sweet, but I had to protect us somehow. And Valerie didn't have too much energy left in her either. I had to do something, I had to protect you"

"But you'll be okay, right?"

"Yes, I think so, but you should know that better than me. After all, it is you who has been asking the doctors every single detail about my health. You know, they might get tired of you asking all the time and might just get rid of me to stop you from doing it again"

"Oh, you mean green thing, I'm just worried about you" Glinda said, holding Elphaba tighter.

"I know, my sweet, I know. But I'll wake up soon, I promise. So, in the meantime, why don't you wake up and wait for me?"

"I don't want to" Glinda said, pouting.

Elphaba laughed "Do it for me, just wake up my sweet, wake up"

"No, I don't wanna wake up" Glinda said, while she refused to open her eyes. 

"Well, Miss Glinda, I'm starting to wonder what kind of dreams you have. After all, it's the second time I wake you up in two days only to receive the same response. Why wouldn't you want to wake up?" Glinda heard Elphaba asking.

"Oh, Elphie, don't criti…" but then she stopped, opening her eyes quickly and looking at green girl she loved looking back at her from the hospital's bed.

"Elphie!" she squealed, walking quickly toward the green girl and hugging her tightly. "How do you feel? Are you okay? Should I call the doctors?" she said, starting to walk away.

"No! I'm fine" Elphaba said, smiling at the blonde "And I'm sorry I woke you up, but I wanted to make sure you were okay. The last thing I remember was trying to maintain the shield up to protect us. I actually panicked when I woke up, but then I saw you sleeping on the couch and I realized things might have turned out alright"

"They did Elphie, you protected us" Glinda said smiling tenderly at the green girl.

"I was scared Glin, for a moment I thought Morrible would win… I felt so weak"

"We are all okay thanks to you, Elphie. You were weak, but then I took your hand and I think I gave you part of my strength… Valerie did the same. So your shield stayed up and ended up saving us. Fiyero brought you here and we were all given medical assistance under the Wizard's orders"

"Do you know if he… do you think he'll have us arrested?"

"No, he was actually very protective of us, he still is… He came to check up on you last night and he even took your clothes to be washed. Oh, by the way, I have this for you" Glinda said, handing Elphaba her mother's green bottle "The Wizard seemed very intrigued by it when he saw it after it fell from your pocket, but he just said it was a unique object and then he left the room quickly. Fiyero came to see you too; he has just been promoted to Captain of the Gale Force"

"That's great" Elphaba said smiling "And Valerie?" she asked concerned.

"She's in the room next door. I also went to see her for a few minutes yesterday while Fiyero stayed here with you. She's getting better and her aunt is with her. She's… weird"

"Yes, she is" Elphaba said laughing "But she knows a lot about magic, and she's the one who taught me all the new things I'm able to do. And Morrible?"

"Elphie… she's, she is dead" Glinda said, taking Elphaba's hand.

Elphaba looked horrified "I, I killed her" she whispered.

"No, Elphie, no. She did it herself. She was hit by her own spell, it was all her doing" Elphaba nodded.

"Just, focus on getting better, okay? I was so afraid I would lose you" Glinda said with tears falling down her face.

"Me too, my sweet. When I saw Morrible hurting you, I was terrified" Elphaba said, leaning her forehead against Glinda's. "But, we'll never be apart again".

"I love you, Elphie" Glinda said, looking directly at Elphaba "And I can't imagine a life without you"

"I can't imagine it either. And I love you too, so much".

And then Elphaba kissed Glinda, softly, wondering if it was okay to do so. After a few seconds she pulled away and looked at the blonde smiling "Is it okay if we… can we try...?"

Glinda didn't give Elphaba a chance to finish her question, because she already knew what she was trying to ask. So she just nodded, beaming at the green girl.

Elphaba smiled back and quickly kissed Glinda again, passionately this time, deepening the kiss instantly.

Glinda moaned against Elphaba's mouth, and kissed her back with all she had. She had dreamed for so long about having her again, about tasting her again.

Both girls pulled apart after what seemed like an eternity to catch their breaths, and then Glinda leaned in to kiss her Elphie again, and again, and again.


	20. A game of pretense

A/N 1: First of all, I'm really really sorry for taking so long to update this story. I promised I would end it, and I will. I think I'm putting a lot in this chapter but I did that because I wanted to get to the wedding part as soon as possible. If anyone is still reading this, I hope you enjoy it.

A/N 2: I don't own anything.

* * *

><p><em>"It'd be for a short period of time, right?" <em>

It had been such a simple question… and yet Glinda hadn't received a definite answer yet; would it be a few days, a couple of weeks more? She didn't know, she only knew that today she had one more day of pretending ahead of her. One more day traveling in a carriage with Fiyero, finding herself daydreaming about Elphie instead of actually being with her.

She loved that woman, that's why it killed her to have to spend so much time away from her; knowing that she was currently hanging out with her ex-girlfriend.

"Glinda?" Fiyero asked shaking her shoulder softly.

"Yes, what is it?" the blonde answered frustrated at everything around her.

"Are you okay? I was just telling you that we are only a few blocks away from our stop"

"Oh. Thank you, Fiyero. I'm just… just thinking that's all"

"Thinking about Fae?".

Glinda just glared at him "Don't call her that…"

"So, it is about her…" Fiyero said clearing his throat "Look, this whole situation won't take that much longer, people seem to like Elphaba more and more everyday"

"Yes, but they also love her and Valerie together and I… I hate that" Glinda said clinching her fists.

"Glin…"

"Yeah, I know she loves me" Glinda continued trying to relax a little. "But it still bothers me"

"I can't imagine how it wouldn't" Fiyero confirmed, looking out the window.

Glinda knew she hadn't been the best companion this morning so she tried to lighten the mood a bit. After all, Glinda got Elphie in the end, but Fiyero was doing this only to help his best friends.

"You must be tired too, having to hang out with me all day"

"Yeah, that's the worst part. Absolute torture" Fiyero answered smiling.

"You are impossible" Glinda said giggling while she pushed him lightly.

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"So, how did it go?"

Elphaba asked when she saw Glinda entering her room, well… their room, considering the blonde spent almost all her time there.

"As always" she answered tiredly, walking towards the bed and lying on it. "Come and say hi to me properly" she then added, looking at Elphaba playfully.

Elphaba smiled at this and put the paper she had been holding on her nightstand. She then went to rest next to Glinda and started kissing her deeply.

"Umm, this makes it all worthed" Glinda said, beaming at Elphaba after they had parted.

"What do you mean Glin? Has something bad happened? Has anyone…"

But before she continued, Glinda stopped her, putting a finger on her lips and taking one of the witch's hands on her own. "No darling, nothing bad has happened. It's not being able to do this all the time" she said looking at their entwined fingers to make Elphaba understand what she meant.

"Oh. I know this is taking longer than we thought"

"It's more than two months now" Glinda replied whining. "How much longer is it going to take?"

"I don't know my sweet. But Valerie and I have a meeting at a youth center tomorrow morning and Amelia will come with us, so I'll ask her then."

"Ok Elphie. I love you"

"I love you too" Elphie answered while placing soft kisses on Glinda's lips.

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The next day Glinda found herself walking around a local market in the Emerald City. Elphie wouldn't be home all morning and they had a long meeting in the afternoon with several congress men, so she decided to just take a walk and enjoy her free time.

She was leaving a store when she bumped into a woman.

"I'm sorry" Glinda apologized immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay Your Goodness" the woman replied shyly.

"Hi" a little girl that had been standing next to the woman said, beaming directly at Glinda.

"Hi, how are you?" Glinda anwered smiling brightly.

"You dropped this, Your Goodness" the woman said, handing Glinda a small box with a necklace she had just bought for Elphaba.

"Oh, thank you! I'm really dying to give this to Elphie"

"Elphie?" the woman asked and then she realized whom Glinda was talking about "Oh yes, our Vizier. I'm sure she'll like it, it comes from her best friend after all. You all have helped Oz so much! We are really grateful; you are making our home a better place"

"Thank you" Glinda replied beaming, maybe it was all really worth it…

"We know great things will come with your help. And I wish the best for you and your love. And Elphaba and Valerie, of course; we are happy the Wizard's daughter has found somebody to love, they deserve each other. Good day Your Goodness" she finished while walking away with the little girl.

"What the…"

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Glinda had been storming around the palace for a while now looking for Elphaba. They had to talk NOW.

"Have you seen Miss Thropp?" she asked one of the guards standing in the corridor.

"I think I saw her walking toward the studio a few moments ago, Your Goodness"

Of course! The studio. "Thank you" Glinda said while she started walking away.

Once she got to the door, she decided to take a deep breath before barging in and yelling at the green witch for not complaining about this whole arrangement before. And that's when she heard voices coming from inside the room. Was that..?

"Valerie, I'm sorry, but we are going to have to be as discreet as we can about this, I don't want her to find out… that way…"

"You don't want her to find out at all Fae, admit it."

"Fine, I don't want her to find out"

"You know she will find out eventually"

"I know, but…"

"Look, I think we should just tell her. We kissed and"

"YOU KISSED?" Glinda yelled while bursting into the room.

"Glinda, I can explain" Elphaba was clearly surprised to see the blonde standing right there.

"You!" Glinda yelled again, pointing at Valerie who was standing next to Elphaba.

"Glin, she didn't do anything, if you would just let me explain…"

"So you are defending her now?" Glinda asked, her voice full of anger.

"She has nothing to do with this, just let me"

"Did you kiss her or not?" Glinda asked icily.

"We kissed, but it's not what you think; please we have to…"

But before she could finish, Glinda had walked out of the room toward her bedroom to start packing, she had had enough of this; she needed to get away right now.

Once she finished packing, she asked for a carriage and was leaving the palace minutes later. Elphaba hadn't come looking for her.

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"Glinda, dear, you haven't left this room in two days. Come on darling, you can't stay in there forever."

"Yes I can, and I will. There's no point on me leaving it!"

Eleanor and Dominic Upland stood outside their daughter's bedroom door without knowing what to say next. Eleanor shot a pleading look at her husband asking for some help.

"Galin… I mean, Glinda, please" Eleanor tried again.

"No momsie, no!"

After receiving another pleading look from his wife, Mr. Upland decided to try… maybe if he used a different approach…

"Glinda" he said loudly "this is your father!"

Mrs. Upland rolled her eyes, giving him a look that said _Really, is that the only thing you could think of?_

Ignoring his wife, he continued "This is enough, you are leaving that room, and you are never seeing that girl again, is that understood?"

Glinda's piercing scream proved that that hadn't been the right thing to say.

"Momsie, he's making things worse! Make him go away" she said yelling again.

"I think I better go prepare some hot chocolate" Dominic said and his wife just nodded.

"Yes dear, I'll take it from here"

Taking one deep breath, Eleanor entered Glinda's room and wasn't surprised when she saw her dauther lying under the covers with her face buried in her pillow.

"Hi darling" she said softly.

"Hi momsie. Look, I don't wanna be rude, but I just want to be alone for now"

"I know that, dear. That's why I gave you some time, but you've already been alone for two days, I think it's time for us to talk"

"There's nothing to talk about momsie, not anymore"

"Is this about Elphaba kissing that other girl?" Mrs. Upland asked directly.

"How…" Glinda asked while turning around to look at her mother "how do you know about that?"

"Well, it wasn't hard to deduce, considering that the picture came out a day after you arrived home"

"What picture? What are you talking about momsie?"

"That newspaper picture that showed Elphaba and The Vizier kissing at this benefit event… Look, considering what you told me about the arrangement you made about public appearances, I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure there was a misunderstanding. Didn't Elphaba give you a reasonable explanation?"

_So, that had been the kiss Elphaba and Valerie had been talking about? _

"I… I think she tried to explain, but I don't know if she was talking about that kiss or others… momsie I don't know what to do anymore" she said while she started sobbing "I love her so, so much, and that's why I'm so afraid of losing her… I'm afraid she might leave me. It happened once and it was my fault, but what if that created a gap between us that will always be there? And when I heard she had kissed Valerie, again, I just freaked out, I wanted to leave the palace before giving her the chance to break up with me and"

"Glinda, you have to stop it now, okay?" her mother said firmly "has Elphaba ever given you a reason to doubt her? I know you had your problems and that you were apart from some time, but I saw the way she looked at you, she treasures you. And I understand you don't like all this pretending you have both been doing, but I don't think it will last much longer, especially considering what the papers have been saying."

"What? What have they been saying?"

"There're rumors that Valerie and Elphaba broke up. They haven't been seen together these past days, and that's something that never used to happen"

"I know" Glinda replied furious, remembering the pictures she had to see every day of them holding hands or walking around town together

"There's also the fact that they will be working in different places soon. For what I read, the Wizard is sending them on special missions. I think Valerie will cover the Vinkus, while Elphaba checks the Emerald City and Munchingland"

"So, it should be over soon?"

"Yes darling, it seems like it" Eleanor answered smiling at her daughter.

"Then why didn't she come for me? Surely…"

"She came, dear. But it was on your first day here and you were grumpy and crying and sleeping all day, so I asked her to come back in a couple of days. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Momsie! You should have told me!"

"Would you have been so open about talking to her then?" Her mother asked knowingly.

"No, you are probably right" Glinda admitted. "But I have to see her now. We'll talk and settle this once and for all. I'll start packing"

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Fifteen minutes later, Glinda was downstairs holding her suitcase, waiting for the family carriage to arrive.

"Is mom coming soon?" she asked her father when he came to stand next to her.

"Yes Glinda doodle, she'll be here very soon" he said smiling at his daughter. Glinda's parents had to travel because of a business meeting they had in a neighbor town, so they decided they would all go to the train station together.

"Ok, let's go" Mrs. Upland said once she had reached the rest of her family. "Oh… wait, I forgot my scarf. Just give me a couple of…"

"No momsie, I'll get it" Glinda said quickly, she didn't want to waste any more time. She went running upstairs, grabbed her mother's scarf and started coming down when she heard the main door opening and a voice she hadn't expected to hear so soon.

"Hello Mrs. Upland, Mr. Upland, sorry to disturb you. I know you asked me to come back in a few days but I couldn't' wait any longer. Please you have to let me talk to her"

"Elphaba dear, it's okay" Glinda heard her mother reply warmly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, so she started running down the stairs to prove it was actually happening. "Actually…" she heard her mother stop when everyone turned around to see her coming down the last steps.

"Elphie" was all Glinda was able to say in that moment. It was barely a whisper, but she was sure it had been heard.

"Glin"

"We'll leave you girls to talk. Glinda, your father and I will be back the day after tomorrow, okay?"

Glinda just nodded.

"It's good to see you Elphaba" Eleanor said while hugging the green girl.

"We'll see you when we get back" Dominic then added, hugging the green girl too.

After the Uplands had closed the door behind them, Elphaba turned to look at Glinda, without knowing what to say next.

"I'm sorry" they both said at the same time.

"No Glinda, I'm sorry. I should have explained everything right after it happened. I didn't want you to find out the way you did, I should have talked to you from the beginning. I'm sorry for not giving you an explanation when you asked for one, and I'm sorry for not talking to you before you left the palace, but we had that stupid meeting with the senators and I wasn't able to leave soon enough. I'm sorry I didn't put a stop to this big lie earlier, I'm sorry that…"

"Elphie, just… just tell me what happened. Did you kiss… do you have feelings for Valerie?"

"No my sweet, no" Elphie said, walking toward Glinda and hugging her tightly. "I didn't kiss her and she's only a friend, a close friend, but a friend and nothing else. You are the only one for me Glin, always have and always will"

"Oh Elphie" Glinda said, hugging her back and sobbing softly. "So, the kiss"

"The kiss was a misunderstanding. I was kissing her on the cheek when someone in the crowd pushed me towards her, but that was it, an accident. An accident that will never happen again because I already talked to Oscar and we are putting an end to all of this"

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Glinda asked looking up at Elphaba "people may not like you or… us… so much after the truth is out. You may not be able to help the Animals as much as you would want to"

"I don't care whether people like me or not, all I care about is you. I love you my precious girl, I love you, and I want everyone to know it"

Glinda lifted her gaze once more, seeing so much devotion in Elphaba's eyes that she felt complete again. "I love you too" she said, while kissing Elphaba softly. "Come on" she then added, guiding Elphaba toward her bedroom. Once they were inside, she closed the door softly behind them and started kissing Elphaba again, more urgently.

Soon they found themselves lying on Glinda's bed, kissing fervently.

"You are mine" Glinda whispered against Elphaba's mouth. "Say it"

"I'm yours, my sweet" Elphaba answered moving on top of Glinda. "We belong to each other"

"Yes we do" Glinda answered while starting to undo Elphaba's dress.

"Glin.." Elphaba whispered; "we can wait, we can…"

"Elphie, we belong to each other. Make me yours and I'll make you mine"

Elphaba replied by kissing Glinda deeply, their time apart had been full of doubt and uncertainty and after those painful days they were finally here, together, proving their love was stronger than ever.

That night Glinda felt things she had never imagined were possible to feel before. As Elphaba's hands caressed her body, branding her as hers forever, she felt completely lost in a world full of love, pleasure and total fulfillment. She felt Elphaba everywhere; she felt each breath, each body movement, each moan in the deepest of her soul. And as she screamed Elphaba's name in the middle of the night while Elphaba held her tightly, she finally felt complete.

Glinda was the first one to wake up the next morning and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the beautiful green girl sleeping next to her. How she loved this beautiful girl… she loved her so much that… that she couldn't ask her to give up everything for her. After all, she was finally being accepted and was fulfilling her dream to help the Animals.

"Good morning, my sweet" she suddenly heard Elphaba say.

"Good morning Elphie" Glinda answered smiling brightly.

Elphaba moved closer to Glinda closing the space between them to kiss her.

"Elphie, noo, morning breath" Glinda said while pretending to push Elphaba away.

"You still taste like paradise" Elphaba replied and then she kissed Glinda deeply.

A couple of hours later the girls were holding hands in the kitchen while eating breakfast together.

"Elphie, I've been thinking and…" Glinda started hesitating

"It's okay my sweet, you can tell me" Elphaba said, holding Glinda's hand.

"I don't want you to tell everyone about us"

"What? But I thought… is it, is it something I did?" Elphaba asked looking worried and hurt.

"NOO, not at all. I love you and you are perfect, last night was perfect" Glinda said, giving Elphaba a soft kiss "But I don't want you to lose everything because of me"

"I don't care…"

"I know you don't care. But I'm not saying we should stay as a secret either. I think we should tell everyone about us but not so suddenly, maybe if we move slower the transition will be easier and people might actually be happy for us".

"That might work Glin, but are you sure that's what you want? I mean, I don't want you to go through all of that again"

"I know Elphie, I know. But I don't want us to rush into things. We love each other and that's all that matters, I think I just needed to remember that. So what do you say if we take some time before we tell everyone?"

"Okay, how long do you think we should wait?"

"I think a couple of months. What about three months? In the meantime we could start spreading rumors about each couple. Momsie told me that people already think that Valerie and you are having problems. I could do the same with Fiyero. That's why I also think it'd be a good idea for me to stay here" before Elphaba could protest Glinda continued "Being home has been great for me, and I think I need a break from the Emerald City and the Palace for a while. That would also help the rumors about my break up with Fiyero. I don't wanna stop seeing you though, so we'll have to find ways to see each other"

"If that's what you think is the best my sweet, I'll go with it" Elphaba said kissing Glinda softly.

"So three months and the world is ours, Elphaba Thropp" Glinda said beaming, raising a glass of milk to toast.

"Three months, my sweet" Elphaba said, raising her glass along with Glinda.

The girls spent the rest of the day in bed, enjoying their new found intimacy. The next morning Elphaba left, kissing Glinda soundly and promising to see her in a few days.

Unfortunately, a few days later, news came that the Wizard had sent his Viziers on special missions earlier than anticipated. He had decided to send Elphaba to Quadling Country while Fiyero and Valerie were sent to the Vinkus. Glinda was instructed to stay in Frottica to maintain a Government presence from there. So, the day before leaving, Elphaba went to say good bye to Glinda and promised to be back before the three months had passed.

That's why Glinda was shocked when three and a half months later she received a letter from her dear Elphie that contained an invitation to her wedding with Valerie. She couldn't understand what had happened. She needed an answer, some kind of explanation, and she needed her Elphie back. She didn't know what was going on through Elphaba's mind at the moment but one thing was sure, she would go to the Emerald City to stop this nonsense, she wouldn't let Elphaba go without a fight.


	21. Not without a fight

A/N 1: First of all, I'm really really sorry for taking so long to update this story. I promised I would end it, and I will. I think I'm putting a lot in this chapter but I did that because I wanted to get to the wedding part as soon as possible. If anyone is still reading this, I hope you enjoy it.

A/N 2: I don't own anything.

* * *

><p><em>"It'd be for a short period of time, right?" <em>

It had been such a simple question… and yet Glinda hadn't received a definite answer yet; would it be a few days, a couple of weeks more? She didn't know, she only knew that today she had one more day of pretending ahead of her. One more day of traveling in a carriage with Fiyero, finding herself daydreaming about Elphie instead of actually being with her.

She loved that woman, that's why it killed her to have to spend so much time away from her; knowing that she was currently hanging out with her ex-girlfriend.

"Glinda?" Fiyero asked shaking her shoulder softly.

"Yes, what is it?" the blonde answered frustrated at everything around her.

"Are you okay? I was just telling you that we are only a few blocks away from our stop"

"Oh. Thank you, Fiyero. I'm just… just thinking that's all"

"Thinking about Fae?".

Glinda just glared at him "Don't call her that…"

"So, it is about her…" Fiyero said clearing his throat "Look, this whole situation won't take that much longer, people seem to like Elphaba more and more everyday"

"Yes, but they also love her and Valerie together and I… I hate that" Glinda said clinching her fists.

"Glin…"

"Yeah, I know she loves me" Glinda continued trying to relax a little. "But it still bothers me"

"I can't imagine how it wouldn't" Fiyero confirmed, looking out the window.

Glinda knew she hadn't been the best companion this morning so she tried to lighten the mood a bit. After all, Glinda got Elphie in the end, but Fiyero was doing this only to help his best friends.

"You must be tired too, having to hang out with me all day"

"Yeah, that's the worst part of this. Absolute torture" Fiyero answered smiling.

"You are impossible" Glinda said giggling while she pushed him lightly.

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"So, how did it go?"

Elphaba asked when she saw Glinda entering her room, well… their room, considering the blonde spent almost all her time there.

"As always" she answered tiredly, walking towards the bed and lying on it. "Come and say hi to me properly" she then added, looking at Elphaba playfully.

Elphaba smiled at this and put the paper she had been holding on her nightstand. She then went to rest next to Glinda and started kissing her deeply.

"Umm, this makes it all worthed" Glinda said, beaming at Elphaba after they had parted.

"What do you mean Glin? Has something bad happened? Has anyone…"

But before she continued, Glinda stopped her, putting a finger on her lips and taking one of the witch's hands on her own. "No darling, nothing bad has happened. It's not being able to do this all the time" she said looking at their entwined fingers to make Elphaba understand what she meant.

"Oh. I know this is taking longer than we thought"

"It's more than two months now" Glinda replied whining. "How much longer is it going to take?"

"I don't know my sweet. But Valerie and I have a meeting at a youth center tomorrow morning and Amelia will come with us, so I'll ask her then."

"Ok Elphie. I love you"

"I love you too" Elphie answered while placing soft kisses on Glinda's lips.

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The next day Glinda found herself walking around a local market in the Emerald City. Elphie wouldn't be home all morning and they had a long meeting in the afternoon with several congress men, so she decided to just take a walk and enjoy her free time.

She was leaving a store when she bumped into a woman.

"I'm sorry" Glinda apologized immediately. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay Your Goodness" the woman replied shyly.

"Hi" a little girl that had been standing next to the woman said, beaming directly at Glinda.

"Hi, how are you?" Glinda anwered smiling brightly.

"You dropped this, Your Goodness" the woman said, handing Glinda a small box with a necklace she had just bought for Elphaba.

"Oh, thank you! I'm really dying to give this to Elphie"

"Elphie?" the woman asked and then she realized whom Glinda was talking about "Oh yes, our Vizier. I'm sure she'll like it, it comes from her best friend after all. You all have helped Oz so much! We are really grateful; you are making our home a better place"

"Thank you" Glinda replied beaming, maybe it was all really worth it…

"We know great things will come with your help. And I wish the best for you and your love. And Elphaba and Valerie, of course; we are happy the Wizard's daughter has found somebody to love, they deserve each other. Good day Your Goodness" she finished while walking away with the little girl.

"What the…"

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Glinda had been storming around the palace for a while now looking for Elphaba. They had to talk NOW.

"Have you seen Miss Thropp?" she asked one of the guards standing in the corridor.

"I think I saw her walking toward the studio a few moments ago, Your Goodness"

Of course, the studio! "Thank you" Glinda said while she started walking away.

Once she got to the door, she decided to take a deep breath before barging in and yelling at the green witch for not complaining about this whole arrangement before. And that's when she heard voices coming from inside the room. Was that..?

"Valerie, I'm sorry, but we are going to have to be as discreet as we can about this, I don't want her to find out… that way…"

"You don't want her to find out at all Fae, admit it."

"Fine, I don't want her to"

"You know she will find out eventually"

"I know, but…"

"Look, I think we should just tell her. We kissed and…"

"YOU KISSED?" Glinda yelled while bursting into the room.

"Glinda, I can explain" Elphaba was clearly surprised to see the blonde standing right there.

"You!" Glinda yelled again, pointing at Valerie who was standing next to Elphaba.

"Glin, she didn't do anything, if you would just let me explain…"

"So you are defending her now?" Glinda asked, her voice full of anger.

"She has nothing to do with this, just let me…"

"Did you kiss her or not?" Glinda asked icily.

"We kissed, but it's not what you think; please we have to…"

But before she could finish, Glinda had walked out of the room toward her bedroom to start packing, she had had enough of this; she needed to get away right now.

Once she finished packing, she asked for a carriage and was leaving the palace minutes later. Elphaba hadn't come looking for her.

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"Glinda, dear, you haven't left this room in two days. Come on darling, you can't stay in there forever."

"Yes I can, and I will. There's no point on me leaving it!"

Eleanor and Dominic Upland stood outside their daughter's bedroom door without knowing what to say next. Eleanor shot a pleading look at her husband asking for some help.

"Galin… I mean, Glinda, please" Eleanor tried again.

"No momsie, no!"

After receiving another pleading look from his wife, Mr. Upland decided to try… maybe if he used a different approach…

"Glinda" he said loudly "this is your father!"

Mrs. Upland rolled her eyes, giving him a look that said _Really, is that the only thing you could think of?_

Ignoring his wife, he continued "This is enough, you are leaving that room, and you are never seeing that girl again, is that understood?"

Glinda's piercing scream proved that that hadn't been the right thing to say.

"Momsie, he's making things worse! Make him go away" she said yelling again.

"I think I better go prepare some hot chocolate" Dominic said and his wife just nodded.

"Yes dear, I'll take it from here"

Taking one deep breath, Eleanor entered Glinda's room and wasn't surprised when she saw her daughter lying under the covers with her face buried in her pillow.

"Hi darling" she said softly.

"Hi momsie. Look, I don't wanna be rude, but I just want to be alone for now"

"I know that, dear. That's why I gave you some time, but you've already been alone for two days, I think it's time for us to talk"

"There's nothing to talk about momsie, not anymore"

"Is this about Elphaba kissing that other girl?" Mrs. Upland asked directly.

"How…?" Glinda asked while turning around to look at her mother "how do you know about that?"

"Well, it wasn't hard to deduce, considering that the picture came out a day after you arrived home"

"What picture? What are you talking about momsie?"

"That newspaper picture that showed Elphaba and the other Vizier kissing at this benefit event… Look, considering what you told me about the arrangement you made about public appearances, I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding. Didn't Elphaba give you a reasonable explanation?"

_So, that had been the kiss Elphaba and Valerie had been talking about? _

"I… I think she tried to explain, but I don't know if she was talking about that kiss or others… momsie I don't know what to do anymore" she said while she started sobbing "I love her so, so much, and that's why I'm so afraid of losing her… I'm afraid she might leave me. It happened once and it was my fault, but what if that created a gap between us that will always be there? And when I heard she had kissed Valerie, again, I just freaked out, I wanted to leave the palace before giving her the chance to break up with me and…"

"Glinda, you have to stop it now, okay?" her mother said firmly "has Elphaba ever given you a reason to doubt her? I know you had your problems and that you were apart from some time, but I saw the way she looked at you, she treasures you. And I understand you don't like all this pretending you have both been doing, but I don't think it will last much longer, especially considering what the papers have been saying."

"What? What have they been saying?"

"There're rumors that Valerie and Elphaba broke up. They haven't been seen together these past days, and that's something that never used to happen"

"I know" Glinda replied furious, remembering the pictures she had to see every day of them holding hands or walking around town together.

"There's also the fact that they will be working in different places soon. For what I read, the Wizard is sending them on special missions. I think Valerie will cover the Vinkus, while Elphaba deals with the Emerald City and Munchingland"

"So, it should be over soon?"

"Yes darling, it seems like it" Eleanor answered smiling at her daughter.

"Then why didn't she come for me? Surely…"

"She came, dear. But it was on your first day here and you were grumpy and crying and sleeping all day, so I asked her to come back in a couple of days. I wanted to talk to you first."

"Momsie! You should have told me!"

"Would you have been so open about talking to her then?" Her mother asked knowingly.

"No, you are probably right" Glinda admitted. "But I have to see her now. We'll talk and settle this once and for all. I'll start packing"

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Fifteen minutes later, Glinda was downstairs holding her suitcase, waiting for the family carriage to arrive.

"Is mom coming soon?" she asked her father when he came to stand next to her.

"Yes Glinda doodle, she'll be here very soon" he said smiling at his daughter. Glinda's parents had to travel because of a business meeting they had in a neighbor town, so they decided they would all go to the train station together.

"Ok, let's go" Mrs. Upland said once she had reached the rest of her family. "Oh… wait, I forgot my scarf. Just give me a couple of…"

"No momsie, I'll get it" Glinda said quickly, she didn't want to waste any more time. She went running upstairs, grabbed her mother's scarf and started coming down when she heard the main door opening and a voice she hadn't expected to hear so soon.

"Hello Mrs. Upland, Mr. Upland, sorry to disturb you. I know you asked me to come back in a few days but I couldn't' wait any longer. Please you have to let me talk to her"

"Elphaba dear, it's okay" Glinda heard her mother reply warmly. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, so she started running down the stairs to prove it was really happening. "Actually…" she heard her mother stop when everyone turned around to see her coming down the stairs.

"Elphie" was all Glinda was able to say in that moment. It was barely a whisper, but she was sure it had been heard.

"Glin"

"We'll leave you girls to talk. Glinda, your father and I will be back the day after tomorrow, okay?"

Glinda just nodded.

"It's good to see you Elphaba" Eleanor said while hugging the green girl.

"We'll see you when we get back" Dominic then added, hugging her too.

After the Uplands had closed the door behind them, Elphaba turned to look at Glinda, without knowing what to say next.

"I'm sorry" they both said at the same time.

"No Glinda, I'm sorry. I should have explained everything right after it happened. I didn't want you to find out the way you did, I should have talked to you from the beginning. I'm sorry for not giving you an explanation when you asked for one, and I'm sorry for not talking to you before you left the palace, but we had that stupid meeting with the congress and I wasn't able to leave soon enough. I'm sorry I didn't put a stop to this big lie earlier, I'm sorry that…"

"Elphie, just… just tell me what happened. Did you kiss… do you have feelings for Valerie?"

"No my sweet, no" Elphie said, walking toward Glinda and hugging her tightly. "She's only a friend, a close friend, but a friend and nothing else. You are the only one for me Glin, always have and always will"

"Oh Elphie" Glinda said, hugging her back and sobbing softly. "So, the kiss…"

"The kiss was a misunderstanding. I was kissing her on the cheek when someone in the crowd pushed me towards her, but that was it, an accident. An accident that will never happen again because I already talked to Oscar and we are putting an end to all of this"

"Are you sure that's what you want?" Glinda asked looking up at Elphaba "people may not like you or… us… so much after the truth is out. You may not be able to help the Animals as much as you would want to"

"I don't care whether people like me or not, all I care about is you. I love you my precious girl, I love you, and I want everyone to know it"

Glinda lifted her gaze once more, seeing so much devotion in Elphaba's eyes that she felt complete again. "I love you too" she said, while kissing Elphaba softly. "Come on" she then added, guiding Elphaba toward her bedroom. Once they were inside, she closed the door softly behind them and started kissing Elphaba again, more urgently.

Soon they found themselves lying on Glinda's bed, kissing fervently.

"You are mine" Glinda whispered against Elphaba's mouth. "Say it"

"I'm yours, my sweet" Elphaba answered moving on top of Glinda. "We belong to each other"

"Yes we do" Glinda answered while starting to undo Elphaba's dress.

"Glin.." Elphaba whispered; "we can wait, we can…"

"Elphie, we belong to each other. Make me yours and I'll make you mine"

Elphaba replied by kissing Glinda deeply, their time apart had been full of doubt and uncertainty and after those painful days they were finally here, together, proving their love was stronger than ever.

That night Glinda felt things she had never imagined were possible to feel before. As Elphaba's hands caressed her body, branding her as hers forever, she felt completely lost in a world full of love, pleasure and total fulfillment. She felt Elphaba everywhere; she felt each breath, each body movement, each moan in the deepest of her soul. And as she screamed Elphaba's name in the middle of the night while Elphaba held her tightly, she finally felt complete.

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Glinda was the first one to wake up the next morning and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the beautiful green girl sleeping next to her. How she loved this woman… she loved her so much that… that she couldn't ask her to give up everything for her. After all, she was finally being accepted and was fulfilling her dream of helping the Animals.

"Good morning, my sweet" she suddenly heard Elphaba say.

"Good morning Elphie" Glinda answered smiling brightly.

Elphaba moved closer to Glinda closing the space between them to kiss her.

"Elphie, noo, morning breath" Glinda said while pretending to push Elphaba away.

"You still taste like paradise" Elphaba replied and then she kissed Glinda deeply.

A couple of hours later the girls were holding hands in the kitchen while eating breakfast together.

"Elphie, I've been thinking and…" Glinda started hesitating

"It's okay my sweet, you can tell me" Elphaba said, holding Glinda's hand.

"I don't want you to tell everyone about us"

"What? But I thought… is it, is it something I did?" Elphaba asked looking worried and hurt.

"NOO, not at all. I love you and you are perfect, last night was perfect" Glinda said, giving Elphaba a soft kiss "But I don't want you to lose everything because of me"

"I don't care…"

"I know you don't care. But I'm not saying we should stay as a secret either. I think we should tell everyone about us but not so suddenly, maybe if we move slower the transition will be easier and people might actually be happy for us".

"That might work Glin, but are you sure that's what you want? I mean, I don't want you to go through all of that again"

"I know Elphie, I know. But I don't want us to rush into things. We love each other and that's all that matters, I think I just needed to remember that. So what do you say if we take some time before we tell everyone?"

"Okay, how long do you think we should wait?"

"I think a couple of months. What about three months? In the meantime we could start spreading rumors about each couple. Momsie told me that people already think that Valerie and you are having problems. I could do the same with Fiyero. That's why I also think it'd be a good idea for me to stay here" before Elphaba could protest Glinda continued "Being home has been great for me, and I think I need a break from the Emerald City and the Palace for a while. That would also help the rumors about my break up with Fiyero. I don't wanna stop seeing you though, so we'll have to find ways to see each other"

"If that's what you think is the best my sweet, I'll go with it" Elphaba said kissing Glinda softly.

"So three months and the world is ours, Elphaba Thropp" Glinda said beaming, raising a glass of milk to toast.

"Three months, my sweet" Elphaba said, raising her glass along with Glinda.

The girls spent the rest of the day in bed, enjoying their new found intimacy. The next morning Elphaba left, kissing Glinda soundly and promising to see her again in a few days.

Unfortunately, a few days later, news came that the Wizard had sent his Viziers on their special missions earlier than expected. He had decided to send Elphaba to Quadling Country while Fiyero and Valerie were sent to the Vinkus. Glinda was instructed to stay in Frottica to maintain a Government presence from there. So, the day before leaving, Elphaba went to say good bye to Glinda and promised to be back before the three months had passed.

That's why Glinda was shocked when three and a half months later she received a letter from her dear Elphie that contained an invitation to her wedding with Valerie. She couldn't understand what had happened. She needed an answer, some kind of explanation, and she needed her Elphie back. She didn't know what was going on through Elphaba's mind at the moment but one thing was sure, she would go to the Emerald City to stop this nonsense, she wouldn't let Elphaba go, not without a fight.


	22. Falling through the sky

A/N: I know I've said this before, but I'm really really sorry for taking so long to update. By the way, I'm looking for a Beta, I think that would make things better and easier, so if anyone is interested, please send me a message.

A/N 2: I don't own wicked or any of its amazing characters.

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><p>Glinda sat on her bed, crying, while Croppe kept trying to comfort her, but he didn't really know what to say. He knew Glinda was hurting right now, but there was nothing he could really do about it. After a few more minutes, Glinda suddenly stopped crying and got up quickly from her bed.<p>

"You know what? I've had it. She can't do this to me, not after everything we've been through"

"What do you mean? What are you doing?" Croppe asked while Glinda took a suitcase out of her closet and started to put some clothes in it.

"What does it look like? I'm packing"

"Are you really going to the Emerald City?" Croppe asked, wondering about what decision the blonde had just made.

"Yes"

"But… Are you really going to do it? Are you going to be Elphaba's bridesmaid? Won't that be too much for you?"

"I have no intention of being anyone's bridesmaid because there won't be a wedding"

Realizing the meaning behind Glinda's statement, Croppe got up and walked towards the blonde.

"Glinda, you can't…"

"Look Croppe, there's nothing you can do or say that will change my mind. I… I can't live without her, can't you see that?" she added with so much honesty that Croppe decided not to interfere anymore.

"I love her, and I can't believe she would do something like this, especially after what happened the last time we saw each other. I'm actually starting to believe there's something else behind this wedding"

"Really, like what?"

"I don't know. But whatever it is, I'll figure it out"

"And what if there's no hidden reason behind it, what if the only reason behind it is love?"

"Well… either way, I have to do something"

"Look Glinda, I don't know what happened between you and Elphaba the last time you saw her, but…"

"Yeah, I know you don't. And I'll tell you about it later, right now I don't have time to waste. I only have a few days to go to the Emerald City, find out what's truly going on, make Elphaba realize that I'm the one she wants and stop that nonsense of a wedding".

"Are you sure that's for the best? What if by trying to break Elphaba and Valerie apart you end up losing Elphaba completely? Are you willing to take that risk?"

"I'd be losing her by not doing anything, Croppe" Glinda said, closing her suitcase and walking toward her balcony, ready to leave by bubble to the Emerald City.

"I can't lose her, not like this, not without a fight. I won't just give up on her, on us, I won't".

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_How could things turn out so wrong?_ Glinda thought to herself. Hadn't all the obstacles that she had faced with Elphaba been enough?

And how could her Elphie do something like that to her. Yes, _Her_ Elphie. That was true no matter what any invitation had to say about it. There had to be something else going on….

While Glinda thought about all the possibilities, she had been getting closer and closer to the Emerald City and its Emerald Palace. What if Croppe was right? What if Elphaba just didn't love her anymore? Could it be? No, she didn't want to see that as an option, clearly it wasn't. True, she hadn't seen Elphaba in almost four months, but until a few weeks ago, she still had received letters from the green girl, all of them full of love and promises of a future together. Glinda had cherished each one of those letters, so how was it possible that….

But she didn't have the chance to finish that thought because suddenly her bubble had disappeared, leaving her defenseless against gravity.

Glinda screamed as she fell, but she also started chanting the spell that would create the bubble again. Fortunately she reacted fast enough because after a few seconds the bubble appeared around her again.

"What's going on?" she asked aloud to herself, while she started breathing heavily, trying not to panic. She had almost fallen to a certain death! Her bubble had never done something like that, what could…?

And then suddenly it was happening again, the bubble disappeared abruptly and Glinda began falling through the sky, chanting desperately to save her life. Except this time it seemed like she was falling faster… the ground was getting close! It was… It was too much for her to handle, so she closed her eyes, chanting urgently, and just when she was starting to lose all hope she felt an arm closing around her waist, lifting her into the air.

Cautiously she opened her eyes to see the same arm pulling her on top of a broom, _her_ broom.

"Oz Glin, are you okay?" asked the person sitting behind her.

"Oh Elphie" Glinda said while turning around and hugging the other woman tightly. She started sobbing because clearly this had been too much for her: first her near death experience and now, having Elphaba so close.

"It's okay Glin, I've got you" Elphaba said tenderly, understanding Glinda's distress.

Glinda kept her hold, not wanting to let go. She had thought about everything she was going to say to Elphaba the moment she saw her, but at the moment, she didn't feel like asking for any explanation. She just wanted to hold her love.

Unfortunately she didn't have much time to recover because all of a sudden her bubble started to appear out of nowhere, this time covering her and Elphaba and once it surrounded them it began crashing down, keeping both of them inside.

"Glinda, what's happening!" Elphaba asked almost screaming, they were falling rapidly and she kept her hold on the broom, taking it from one of the bubble's walls to the other, trying to break free, but they seemed to be trapped.

"I don't know!" Glinda screamed, equally terrified. The ground was getting closer!

"Make it disappear!" Elphaba yelled again, and Glinda started chanting desperately.

"Glinda!"

"I know! But it's not working" And they were falling so fast!

"Okay, I'll… I'll try something okay? Just make sure you jump when I say so, okay?"

"But Elphie…"

"Just be ready" and then Elphaba started chanting and a small opening began to appear on one of the bubble's walls; just as the whole was big enough, Elphaba yelled "Jump!"

And Glinda did. The moment she jumped out of the bubble, she knew she wasn't falling as fast as she should be, still she was falling, so she kept her eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable… but then she heard some voices below, so she opened her eyes just before seeing something white and crashing into it.

_Okay, that hurt_. Something hard had cushioned her fall and now she could feel the grass underneath her, but where was Elphie? She raised her head to look at her surroundings and that's when she saw it, a broom falling from the sky right in front of her and crashing into… was that a cake?

_Elphie?_ She barely whispered before she fainted.

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Glinda opened her eyes slowly, finding herself in a room she had seen before… her room? No, Elphie's room at the Emerald Palace.

"Thank Oz you are awake"

"Elphie?" Glinda answered, recognizing the voice immediately. "Where am I, what's going on?"

"Hi Glin" Elphaba said, approaching the bed and sitting on a chair next to it. "How are you feeling? The doctor said you might feel a little disoriented at first"

"I'm fine, I guess" Glinda said, sitting up slowly. "What happened?"

"That's something I wanted to ask you; what happened with your Bubble? You really scared me, if I hadn't been walking on the gardens I would have never seen something pink falling through the sky, and I wouldn't have been able to save you" she finished, tears forming on her eyes.

Glinda melted at the sight "It's okay Elphie, I'm fine now" she said with a small smile. "I'm sorry about what happened, but I really can't explain it. I had never lost control of my bubble, it was really scary. I was also worried about you."

Elphaba answered with a small smile of her own "I was lucky enough to crash into something… soft, so I didn't have a strong fall. It was really weird, after you jumped I chanted a spell to soften your fall and a few seconds later, when I was preparing to jump, the bubble disappeared completely. It was like it had been waiting for you to leave. So I held onto my broom and I tried to gain some control of it; I kind of did, but I ended up landing on somewhere… unexpected"

"Where did you land?"

"On my wedding cake" Elphie said with a small smile "So I'm grateful, but unfortunately because of that we had to order a new one, which will take a few days to arrive, so Valerie is not very happy at the moment"

Wedding cake! Valerie! Glinda had almost forgotten the reason for her visit to the Palace! What had her plan been? How long had she been unconscious?

"Especially since you pretty much landed on her…"

"What! Landed on whom?"

"Val, you pretty much landed on her and one of her bridesmaids. She's okay, but her friend ended up unconscious too"

Glinda knew she should be sorry, but for some reason she didn't feel like saying it… after all, she hadn't fallen on purpose.

"Elphie, this is too much to take in, and I just…"

"Yes, I know, Glin. You were unconscious for almost a day, you need to rest, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll call a doctor and then we can talk some…"

"No, Elphie! Please listen to me" Glinda said almost desperately. Now that she wasn't feeling disoriented anymore, she remembered everything, she knew she had to talk to Elphie right away. "The wedding…"

"Oh, yes. The wedding, I'm assuming you came because of the letter I sent, right?"

"Yes, but… the letter… I mean, why…?"

"Glin, are you sure you are okay? I should really get the doctor and then we could talk…"

"No, I want to know why!"

"Why…?"

"Why are you marrying her? Is this some kind of joke? Did Amelia put you up to this, or was it Oscar? Did someone threaten you?"

"Glin, I don't know what you are talking about, why would I joke about something like that? Or why would I be threatened? Look, you were unconscious for several hours, maybe you just need some rest"

"No, that's not what I need. Is this really your choice? What about us?"

"I don't understand Glinda"

"What do you mean? We were together… we were…"

"We were, but that was months ago, and you left me, don't you remember? Maybe this is some kind of side effect, but…"

"I never left you! And stop treating me like I'm incapable of talking"

"Glinda, you left a few months ago and you went to Frottica, don't you remember that?"

"Yes I did, but…"

"And you said that you never wanted to see me again" Elphaba said seriously. "I honestly want to forget about that fight. It hurt when it happened, but now I understand all your reasoning. That's why I invited you, to recover our friendship"

"I… I never said that Elphie. And I left, but you came looking for me, and then…"

"I never went to Frottica, Glinda. I knew that our relationship wasn't perfect at the moment, but I never wanted you to leave. Still, I respected your decision. After that Oscar sent me to Munchingland and then to the Vinkus for a few weeks"

"No, that's not… You came!"

"Glin" Elphaba said, breathing deeply and moving to sit next to Glinda on the bed "You should really rest, maybe after that you will remember everything more clearly"

"But I…"

"Please, we'll talk after you rest some. I promise I will come back soon. I really have to check on Valerie, as I said she isn't very happy at the moment. After all, you just landed on her, ruined her wedding dress and I ruined our cake"

"But, why… you said the wedding was in a few days, why was the cake out there"

"I sent that letter a few days ago, Glinda. But a couple of days after that we decided that it'd be better if we had it sooner. So, it was going to be yesterday, late in the afternoon. I sent you another letter letting you know, but I guess you didn't get it on time"

At that moment there was a soft knock on the door.

"Come in" Elphaba said.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Elphaba" said a young woman standing on the doorway, wearing a navy dress "but we really need you downstairs to review some details for the reception"

"Okay, I'll be down there" Elphaba said, noticing that the woman was waiting for her at the door.

"I have to go Glin" she spoke softly, looking back at Glinda "Please rest and I'll be back soon, okay?"

"But Elphie…" Glinda started, looking toward the door, where the woman stood, still waiting for Elphaba "We really need to talk, please"

"We will, I'll be back soon. I'll leave a maid outside just in case you need anything, okay?" she finished with a small smile.

Then she stood and left the room, closing the door behind her. Glinda remained sitting on the bed, looking blankly at the wall. _What was happening here? What had happened to her Elphie?_


	23. Unexpected allies

A/N 1: Thanks to broomvsbubble, anon, ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness, Yelene-ryudream and James Birdsong for all of your amazing reviews! They really are a huge motivation to keep writing.

By the way, after I had written about Glinda falling through the sky in the last chapter, this line came to my mind:

"It's a bird… It's a plane… It's Glinda the Good!"

Haha, I just wanted to share that with you guys.

A/N 2: I don't own wicked.

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><p>And so, Glinda waited and waited… it seemed like Elphie had left hours ago! Even though in reality she knew it had only been close to an hour.<p>

But this was driving her crazy! She had already lost too much time with the whole being unconscious ordeal.

She still didn't know what was happening. Had she really imagined Elphie's visit to Frottica? Nooo! That was impossible, it had been too real… too wonderful not to be true. Besides after that she had received several letters from her love. Then why was Elphaba acting this way?

Tired of staying in bed, waiting for things to make sense, Glinda decided that she would find Elphaba to talk to her again. She would make her see reason.

With that thought in mind, she got up, got dressed on record time and left the room.

Once outside she saw the maid Elphaba had talked to her about.

"Hello, how are you?" Glinda asked politely. "I was wondering if you could tell me where to find Mrs. Thropp".

"Oh, I'm guessing she is on the grounds, Your Goodness. But she asked me to look after you, so if you need anything I could just get it for you. Both Mrs. Thropp and Mrs. Klayrtone said that you needed some rest. They insisted that you shouldn't leave the room."

_Yeah, I bet Mrs. Klayrtone is completely worried about me_ Glinda thought.

"You don't have to worry about that, dear" Glinda said with a sweet smile, trying to convince someone that appeared more and more like a guardian dog "I'm feeling much, much better. And I just want to be with my best friend during these special moments".

The woman still looked skeptical. "I'm sorry Your Goodness, but I'm not supposed to let you leave…"

"It's okay, Gendry" someone said from the hall.

Glinda turned around to see who it was, and was surprised at the sight. _Milla? What the hell was Milla doing there?_

"I'm sorry Miss, but…" the woman, Gendry, continued; now addressing Milla. "I can't…"

"It's really okay, Gendry. Miss Glinda will accompany me at all times. I'll look after her and I'm sure Mrs. Thropp will appreciate her having the chance to help at moments like these. There's still a lot to be done for the wedding."

Clearly seeing that there wasn't anything else she could say, Gendry just nodded.

"Okay, please take care, Your Goodness" she finished before giving Glinda a small bow and walking away.

"Have you gotten used to people doing that around you? It still seems kind of weird to me"

"Milla, what are you doing here?" Glinda asked right away, now that Gendry was gone.

"Really? That's the first thing you are going to tell me? I just saved you from being locked in your room all day".

"Well, thank you. But I think I would have found a way to get what I wanted".

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I mean, I'm almost sure that even now she just went to tell Valerie or one of the bridesmaids that you left your room".

"You are making it sound like…"

"Like everyone is keeping an eye on you? I think that's really what is happening right now. I mean, you just destroyed a wedding rehearsal, Glinda"

"That was unintentional!" the blonde said, defending herself.

"Well, you still destroyed it…"

"I'm glad I did" Glinda replied under her breath. "And you haven't told me yet what you are doing here".

"I'm one of Elphaba's bridesmaids"

"You?" Glinda asked, surprised "But, you were never a close friend, were you even friends at all?"

"I never really hated her… And even though that doesn't seem enough, it didn't seem to matter to Valerie. She's the one who invited me; she said that she wanted Elphaba to have at least one friend from the past in her wedding. Considering that the green girl wasn't that friendly with many people, I guess they didn't have many options".

"What did Elphie say about it?" Glinda asked.

"She didn't seem to mind either. She really didn't say anything about it; maybe she just wanted to make her bride happy".

"Don't call her that" Glinda answered angrily.

"You should watch your tone, Glinda, or people are going to think that you actually ruined the rehearsal on purpose".

"Well, thank you the advice, Milla. But if you excuse me, I have to go find Elphaba". Glinda said while walking down the hall. She hadn't been in the Palace for a long time, but she still knew her way around.

"I don't think that's a really good idea".

"And why not?" Glinda asked glaring at her.

"Because I'm sure she's with Valerie; and that's a girl who can't be that happy with you right now".

"I don't care" Glinda said while she kept walking down another hall.

"Listen Glinda" Milla said, grabbing her arm "You weren´t even supposed to be invited".

"What, what do you mean? Elphie wrote me a letter…"

"I know she did, I heard it from one of Valerie's bridesmaids. That caused a big fight between Elphaba and Valerie. See, you weren't supposed to be here, Valerie didn't want you to, and that's what she had told Elphaba. But when the moment came, you sill received a letter from the green girl".

Glinda was surprised at this. Sure, she knew that Valerie didn't like her that much, but prohibiting Elphaba from inviting her… that was too much.

"Milla, I don't know what's going on here. This wedding shouldn't even be happening at all".

"What do you mean?" Milla asked intrigued.

"This shouldn't be happening because Elphie and I love each other".

Noticing the look of incredulity on her friend's face, Glinda decided to tell her everything. After all, she needed an ally in the Palace right now, and Milla seemed to be her one and only option.

"Look, I'll tell you everything from the beginning. Let's take a walk".

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"And that's the whole story" Glinda said after she had told Milla about her and Elphaba's last months together.

They were sitting on a white bench under one of the main garden's trees.

"So, all that time that you seemed so happy with Fiyero and Elphaba was with Valerie… it was all an act?"

"That's right".

"But it seemed so real… why doesn't Elphaba remember visiting you?"

"I don't know" Glinda said, burying her head in her hands. "But you do believe me, right?"

"I… I guess so. I mean, I want to believe you. It's just that… I don't understand why Elphaba would act that way. I wasn't her biggest fan, but she wasn't such a jerk either".

"She was amazing, she's amazing" Glinda said, defending her Elphie. "But something happened. Maybe that's why Valerie didn't want me here".

"Maybe" Milla confirmed "But, I kind of feel bad for her too".

When she saw the murdering look Glinda was giving her, she decided to clarify.

"Well, think about it, Glinda. Right now she's organizing her _Third_ wedding rehearsal"

"Third?" Glinda asked.

"Yes. I wasn't here for the first one because it happened almost three days ago and I had been on my way from Munchingland. But I heard that a couple of prisoners escaped from Southstairs and came to the Palace to attack the Viziers. So the rehearsal was cancelled for security measures. Then, yesterday they have their second rehearsal and _Glinda the Good_ comes falling through the sky. It's been very stressful for Valerie; she even started drinking this herbal tea for her nerves. I heard it tastes awful, but it seems that Elphaba is drinking it too".

"Well, I still can't feel bad for her. I'm sorry, but there's something going on with Elphie and I think she's behind it".

"Look Glinda, I'll believe you. And I'll try to help you, even though I don't think I can do much. Right now I have to pick these herbs for Valerie's tea and then…"

"Milla, you said that there's another rehearsal today, right? Could you please ask Elphaba to meet me in my bedroom after it? I would ask her myself, but I don't think I'll be able to talk to her alone before or during the rehearsal".

"Okay, I can do that" Milla said.

"On the meantime, I'll get ready to go to today's rehearsal. Maybe I could confront Valerie there without giving her the chance of causing a big scene".

"Ok, let's try that. The rehearsal is today, around seven. It will be indoors this time" Milla said while standing up to leave.

"I'll be there, thanks Milla" Glinda said, offering her old friend a smile.

"You're welcome. Just promise me something, Glinda. If you talk to Valerie and then you talk to Elphaba and you realize that they are really in love and that they want this… then promise me you'll let it go".

"I don't think if I can promise that" Glinda said deciding to be honest.

"Fine, but then I want you to talk to me before you do anything rush, please".

"Okay, I think that I can promise you that".

"Good, see you later" Milla answered while walking away.

"Wait!" Glinda said while standing up. "Why are you helping me?"

"I'm helping you because I think that, out of all the friends I had at Shiz, you were the only one I considered a true friend. And even though I didn't like Elphaba that much, I knew she made you happy. If you love each other as much as you say, then you two belong together".

"Thank you, Milla" Glinda answered while hugging her friend with tears on her eyes.

"Don't thank me yet, sweetie" Milla said, hugging the blonde back. "First, let's see how the day ends".

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While walking back to her bedroom through the gardens, Glinda thought about all the things that had happened during the past few days.

There were moments when she only wanted to find Elphie, run to her and shake her until she regained some sense. There were also moments when her plan changed a little bit and she imagined running to Elphie, grabbing her and just taking her away.

But after talking to Milla, she realized those plans weren't valid options anymore.

Now she was sure that there was something big going on. Why didn't Val want her to go to the wedding in the first place? Was it because she knew about Elphie and her? Why didn't Elphie remember anything? Why did they have to rush the wedding so much? Everything was so wrong at the moment…

So Glinda decided that she would act cautiously. Considering all of the things she had learned, she would be careful and plan accordingly. Thanks to her _gracious _landing the day before, she still had a couple of days to fix everything; and if she did everything right, she would have her Elphie curled up next to her in her bedroom in Frottica very soon.

Satisfied with her decision, Glinda walked faster to the Palace, but then she felt something small hitting her on the back of the head.

"Ouch! Who threw that?" Glinda yelled turning around only to receive a second hit; this time it had been a nut and Glinda could have sworn it had come from one of the trees around her.

The blonde walked slowly to one of the closest trees and then she saw where the nut had come from.

"Chistery?" she asked in surprise. She remembered Elphaba telling her in one of her letters that Chistery had stayed in Kiamo Ko with the rest of the flying monkeys.

"Chri. Hid. Glin" Chistery said. He then climbed down the tree and moved closer to Glinda, speaking softly. "Glin. Help. Cell" he said.

"Huh?"

"Glin. Ro. Help" he repeated.

"I'm sorry, Chistery but I can't understand you" the blonde said, sounding distressed.

"Glin. Help. Glin. Help" the monkey started repeating while grabbing Glinda's dress and trying to pull her away from the Palace.

"Chistery, I'm sorry but I can't understand you and I can't follow you. I have something very important to do right now". The blonde was intrigued, that's why she had considered following the monkey, but she knew she couldn't get sidetracked; she had something huge to deal with at the moment. And that's when a brilliant idea came to Glinda's mind.

"Glin. Help. Glin. Help" Chistery kept saying while pulling Glinda.

"Okay, okay. Look, I really need to do something first and I think you might be able to help me. After that I'll go with you and help you, is that okay? First you help me, and then I'll go with you. Please Chistery, it's very important" Glinda pleaded.

The monkey looked at Glinda like he was considering his options.

"Ok. Oay" he finally said.

"Great!" the blonde said beaming "Here's what you are going to do" and then she whispered her plan into Chistery's ear before letting the monkey go and going back to her bedroom to prepare for tonight's rehearsal.

* * *

><p>So… what could be Glinda's plan? And I know that it seems that Chistery just appeared out of nowhere, but everything will be explained very soon.<p> 


	24. Long time no see

AN/1: Hi! First of all, thanks for all the lovely reviews, you guys are really amazing :)

Second, thanks for making me notice the whole Chistery thing (I had misspelled the name), and sorry about that.

Third, I think all of you had a pretty good idea about the reasons behind the wedding. ChapticSymphonyOfDarkness, my dear Guest, Yelene-ryudream, you are all very close; but I added a little twist to the story that I always thought it would be nice to have ;)

AN/2: I don't own wicked or any of its characters.

* * *

><p>"Glinda! Glinda! Are you in there?" a voice came from the other side of the hall along with a loud knock on the door.<p>

"Coming" Glinda replied moving from the bed where she had been sitting.

"Finally!" Milla said once Glinda had let her into the room. "I've been knocking for a while; I thought you had gone somewhere else."

"Sorry about that. I was just lost in my thoughts." She was being honest, she had started thinking about Elphie and their last encounter and her new plan, so she had ended up spacing out.

"How do I look?" Glinda suddenly asked with a bright smile, doing a little twirl for Milla to see. She was wearing a soft blue dress that made her eyes shine even brighter; it was modest but at the same time hugged her in all the right places.

"You look really beautiful." Milla said smiling back at Glinda. "But it may be kind of obvious that you are trying to outshine one of the brides."

"Well, it's not my fault that I want to look my best for one of those brides, the green one to be exact." Glinda said with a mischievous look on her face.

"Thanks for clarifying; I could have never guessed which one on my own." Milla answered with a small smile. "Come on, they're ready downstairs, that's why I came for you. The dinner rehearsal will begin in just a few moments."

"Okay, let's go" the blonde said, taking a deep breath "I'm ready."

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Glinda and Milla had reached the Palace's front doors when they spotted Elphaba and Valerie greeting the guests.

They were both wearing similar kinds of white dresses. But Glinda's breath hitched when she saw her Elphie.

Until yesterday, it had been months since she had seen her, and now she looked absolutely perfect. Her long black hair seemed to be shinning and when she turned around to greet someone else her eyes landed on Glinda and she felt that she had stopped breathing once those deep brown eyes found her own.

Elphaba seemed to be lost in a trance too and she started walking towards Glinda without breaking eye contact.

"Glinda, breath!" Milla whispered loudly next to the blonde before Elphaba was too close to hear them.

Glinda tried to relax but looked steadily at Elphaba until she came to stand right in front of her.

"Glin, you… You look marvelous." Elphaba said with the little tint on her cheeks that Glinda had come to recognize as a blush.

"You too, Elphie." Glinda said blushing.

They stayed there looking at each other's eyes for what seemed like centuries until Milla nudged Glinda.

"Come on, break it off you two" she said, just before another woman came to stand next to Elphaba.

"Hello Glinda, it's nice to see you." Valerie said smiling.

"Oh, Hello Valerie."

"I see Milla was kind enough to look after you."

"Yes, she was." Glinda said with a forced smile towards the brunette.

"Well, in that case" Elphaba began, looking at Milla "I must say I'm finally happy you are my bridesmaid."

"Elphie! Be nice!" Glinda answered giggling and swatting at Elphaba's arm.

"Yes, Fae" Valerie interjected, holding Elphaba's hand "that wasn't very nice."

Glinda gave her a very discreet glare that only Milla seemed to notice.

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry, Milla. But I'm sure you understand why I said that. I mean, we were never the best of friends and then you came here to be my bridesmaid. But, as I said, even if it took me a while, I'm now happy to have you here." She finished with a last glance toward Glinda.

"I understand Elphaba, and I'm actually sorry for all the things that may have happened during our time at Shiz."

"It's okay, Milla. Actually I think you were the most tolerable friend our little social butterfly here used to have."

"Okay, now you are just being mean to both of us." Glinda said with a small pout that seemed to melt Elphaba.

"Never, my sweet, never." Elphie answered with such a loving look toward Glinda that the blonde felt like she had stopped breathing again, until the moment was broken abruptly.

"Come one, Fae. It's time to go to the Main Room, people are waiting for us."

"Yes, of course." Elphaba answered, allowing Valerie to draw her away; the happiness in her eyes had suddenly left, but just as soon she was smiling at Val and walking with her through the crowd.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all" Milla said "But I think you might be right, Glinda. For a moment there I thought Elphaba still loved you. Come on." she said while pulling Glinda with her toward the Main Salon.

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"Hey, you okay?" Glinda heard someone asking her from behind. She would recognize that voice anywhere and she had already recognized that person's sweet scent. Oz, how she missed to be able to just hold her and kiss her whenever she felt like it or needed to.

"I'm fine, Elphie" the blonde answered with a small smile. She had been sitting close to the bar, holding a drink in her hand that she hadn't really touched. "Is it going to start soon?"

"Yes, just a couple of minutes more." Elphaba said, standing next to the blonde.

"Elphie…"

"Glinda…"

They had spoken at the same time.

"You first." Glinda said with a warm smile.

"I was wondering if you wanted to dance."

Glinda looked toward the center of the room where many people were dancing to a fast rhythm.

"I'd love to" she answered, watching how Elphie took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

By the time they had started dancing, a slower song had started to play. For a moment Glinda thought that Elphie was going to pull away, but instead she held Glinda closer while they started swaying to the music.

"Are you sure Valerie will be okay with this?" Glinda asked, somehow wanting to listen to Elphaba say that she didn't care about the brunette's opinion.

"Yes, I think she will. You are my best friend after all."

Glinda pulled away a little to look at Elphaba's eyes.

"Elphaba, don't you really remember anything about your trip to Frottica? Or the things that happened while you were there?"

"Glin, I didn't…"

"No, please..." Glinda asked her more desperately "please before you say it never happened, please try to think about it, try to remember, for me."

Elphaba didn't look so convinced, but she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

It was so hard for Glinda, having her so close, but not being able to do anything about it… Finally she couldn't take it anymore and she started caressing Elphaba's cheek with her thumb tenderly.

"You were mine." She whispered softly.

Suddenly Elphaba opened her eyes and looked deeply at Glinda "I… I'm yours."

"OKAY, EVERYONE, WE ARE READY, LET'S BEGIN."

One of the bridesmaids yelled all of the sudden, causing the music to stop and the couples to leave the dancing floor. But Glinda and Elphaba stayed there standing.

"Glin… I don't know… but I feel…" Elphaba looked so confused and scared that Glinda became immediately worried.

"Come on, Elphaba. It's time!" the blonde heard someone yelling.

"We… we need to talk about this later, okay?" she asked clearly agitated.

Glinda could only nod while Elphaba kissed her forehead and walked away toward the center of the room where Valerie stood talking with the priest.

Glinda took a deep breath and started walking where all the other bridesmaids were standing. She assumed that she would have to stand next to Elphaba and Milla.

However, before she got there she remembered there was something urgent she needed to do, so she walked quickly toward the main door, chanted softly until a bubble appeared on her hand and then released the pink object into the air, hoping it would be received on time.

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A few minutes later, everyone was standing on their assigned positions. As Glinda had expected, she was standing next to Elphaba, and they were all in the middle of the main room. There priest was standing between the brides, reading about the promise they'd be making to each other and the wonderful feature they could have together.

"Are you okay?" Milla asked Glinda, noticing that the blonde was looking constantly at the huge windows that were located behind them, in the room's north wall.

"Yes, I'm fine." Glinda answered. _But, how longer do I have to wait?_, she thought to herself.

"Okay" Milla said, but she didn't sound very convinced.

"Look Milla" Glinda kept whispering, hoping that no one would hear her. "I know I told you I would let you know if I planned on doing something, but I didn't have a lot of time to do so. So, I should let you know that something is about to happen very soon, but don't worry it is something small and nothing will go wrong."

"What?" Milla hissed.

But Glinda wasn't listening anymore because she had just seen a small dark cloud approaching the Palace, so she started chanting one of the few spells that she dominated. After all… she had always been good at making things explode.

She kept chanting very softly, without noticing anything else around her, until she heard someone screaming.

The blonde opened her eyes to look around, but kept chanting under her breath. She turned around in time to see a woman yelling desperately, pointing toward the window "LOOK OUT!" she screamed.

Glinda turned to look at the windows and saw that the dark cloud, a huge cloud of flying monkeys, had gotten closer.

It looked like they were going to collide against the windows, but Glinda had finished her spell just on time, so just before the monkeys crushed into them, the windows exploded, sending thousands of pieces of glass to the floor.

Fortunately there seemed to be a barrier, preventing the glasses to go near the area where the guests were standing, but the noise of the explosion had terrified everyone.

And now a herd of monkeys kept flying around the room and around the guests, picking things up and throwing them away.

Glinda couldn't help but smile at what was going on around her. She knew the monkeys wouldn't hurt anyone, but there was such chaos in the room that she was sure there'd have to be a fourth rehearsal. Especially considering that at that moment the priest was being carried away from the Palace by Chistery himself. She knew the monkey wasn't going to take him far away, but now she had just gained a few more days in her rescuing mission.

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"What was that all about?" Milla asked enraged. They can't even find the priest and the rings are missing too."

"The priest isn't harmed, and I'm sure he'll be back in a couple of days with gifts from various villages he'd be visiting. As for the rings… well, I'm sure they can get new ones."

"But Glinda, you promised me you'd be careful and that you'd let me know if you decided to do something this crazy."

"I did let you know! Don't you remember?"

"Telling me seconds before it happened doesn't really count!"

"Sure it does!"

"No, it doesn't. And you could have hurt people! I mean, we had glass thrown at us."

"There wasn't any danger because I had everything under control. Elphie taught me a spell to freeze things in midair and I used it with the glass. I used to have small accidents around her where things would end up exploding when I practiced some magic tricks, and that's when she decided to find a spell that would help me."

"Well then, don't you think that she'll know you were behind all of this? I mean, she will at least suspect something."

"I thought about that, but at least now…"

Suddenly the blonde was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

Glinda and Milla looked at each other quizzically before the blonde answered.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Elphaba."

_There you go, I told you_. Milla mouthed toward Glinda

_Oh, shut up._ Glinda answered in the same way.

"Please come in" she then said out loud.

Elphaba opened the door slowly and stepped into the room looking around. "Hello Glinda, Milla. I'm glad you are both okay, I was worried about you."

"It's okay, Elphie. We are fine" the blonde said. She wanted to smile but realized that she couldn't. Elphaba looked so tired and defeated right now that Glinda couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty about what had happened.

"Are you okay, Elphaba?" Milla asked, clearly noticing the same thing about the green girl that Glinda had.

"Yeah, we are fine. This has just become even more stressful, you know? We've been looking for Chistery to try to understand what happened, but we haven't been able to find him. This is just a huge mess."

"Well, if there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"I will, thank you Milla. On the meantime, could you give me a few minutes to talk to Glinda alone, please?"

"Sure" Milla answered, glancing toward the blonde one more time before leaving the room quietly.

Once the door had closed behind Milla, Glinda decided to speak.

"Elphie, are you really alright?"

"I don't know, Glin. I'm tired of things happening around us that make Val miserable. I'm tired that we can't have the ceremony. I'm tired of the whole commotion that has accompanied this wedding. And I'm scared, I'm scared that someone is trying to hurt Valerie and that I don't know who that person is. And, because of everything that happened tonight, I'm scared that person might be you."

"Elphie, I didn't… you can't…"

"I know I can't accuse you just like that, Glinda. And I'm sorry if I'm not being fair with you, but all the evidence points to you right now and you must realize that I'm not the only one who thinks that."

"So Valerie thinks it was me? Do _you_ think it was me?"

"I'm desperately trying to convince myself that you are not responsible for any of this. But on the meantime, could you please stay away from Val and me until the wedding is over? Please?"

"Elphie… I can't. I… You know how much I care about you, I love you! But something happened to you and I… I don't know what to do, but you felt it! For one moment during our dance you were my Elphie again, remember?"

"I do remember, Glin. I don't know what happened at that moment, but…"

"Then we have to talk about it!" Glinda said louder, interrupting Elphaba "We have to, please!"

"I… I can't deal with that right now, Glin. I'm exhausted and I only came here to make sure you were well and to talk to you about what happened. You may stay here for as long as you please, but at least give us some time until the wedding takes place."

"No! I won't, I can't!"

"Please, Glinda"

"No"

"Fine, then at least give me until tomorrow. That way I have some time to put some things in order and convince everyone that you aren't here to destroy the ceremony."

"Do you believe them? Do you think I planned all of this?" Glinda asked softly. She knew that tonight had been her idea, but the previous disasters hadn't been her fault at all. She shouldn't be blamed for everything that went wrong.

"I don't want to believe them" Elphaba said "That's why I won't ask you if you had anything to do with any of it. I know you care about me too much to do something like that." And with that Elphaba walked toward the door and left the room.

"I do care" Glinda whispered to herself "that's why I'm responsible for some of it, and I would do it again and again until I get you back."

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Glinda had gone to bed after talking to Elphaba, but she hadn't been able to sleep right away.

That's why she hadn't been sleeping deeply when she heard some steps close to her bed followed by a hand covering her mouth.

She started to struggle trying to defend herself, but then she felt a strong hit on the head and everything went black.

Next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes again and looking around realizing she wasn't at the Palace anymore. But she was in a place she knew… somewhere she had been before.

"Good, throw her next to our newest prisoners. That way the little bit of magic she has will be useless."

Glinda recognized that voice… she was…

"Oh, you are up" Valerie said, kneeling down next to Glinda who was lying on the cold floor. "Well, too bad, I would have preferred you not seeing me. You shouldn't have come, Glinda, and you shouldn't have tried to ruin the most special day in my life. You really didn't leave me any other choice. But don't worry, I'll tell Elphaba how you decided to leave because you are such a good friend that you didn't want to cause any more problems. She'll believe that and by the time she decides to contact you again, it'll be too late. She will already be my wife. But don't worry, we will make this place as comfortable for you as possible; after all, you'll be staying here for a really really long time. Take her away" she then added, without giving Glinda any chance to react. She was still gaining conscience and after hearing Valerie talking to her she realized where she was… Southstairs.

"No!" she screamed, finally coming to her senses. "Nooo, Elphie!"

"Oh, come on. Even you are smarter than that, she can't hear you, and she won't come, no one will. Farewell, Lady Glinda."

And with that Valerie was gone. Two guards picked Glinda up from the floor and dragged her into an empty cell located at the end of the corridor, locking the iron door behind them.

_What now?_ Glinda thought to herself. For some reason, being locked in prison wasn't the scariest part. The scariest part was knowing that Valerie may have won, that her Elphie could be gone forever.

She started sobbing uncontrollably at that thought, without really knowing what else she could do.

"Glinda?" She suddenly heard someone calling her from the cell next to hers. "Is that you?"

She recognized that voice, but it couldn't be...

She approached the bars that divided her from the other person and was able to confirm that she wasn't crazy, she had really heard him.

"Fiyero?" Glinda asked completely surprised.

"Oh, Oz. I'm so glad you are okay" Fiyero said "When we heard the guards yelling upstairs we feared the worst."

"We?" Glinda asked "Wait, what are you doing here? What happened?" the blonde felt completely lost at the moment, nothing made any sense "I thought you were in the Vinkus."

"We were, but…"

"See, I told you we shouldn't have sent Chistery to her." Glinda heard someone else saying in the dark next to Fiyero.

She recognized that voice too, but it couldn't be! She had just heard it minutes before. Had she finally lost her mind?

"Fiyero, is that…?" Glinda asked just in case, but it couldn't be possible!

"Hello Glinda" the person next to Fiyero finally came into view.

"Val… Valerie?"

"Long time no see."


End file.
